Just Like His Grandfather
by alicenotinwonderland
Summary: James Sirius Potter has a crush on a pretty redhead.He's more like his grandfather than he knows. So, McGonagall decides to tell him the story of his grandfather's quest for Lily's heart to help him out...My first LJ fic!Please read and review!no flames..
1. Chapter 1

**Hi!! This is my first LJ fic ever so please be nice and review!! The LJ will start in the later chapters, this is just like an introduction.**

**Enjoy!!**

**Disclaimer : I don't own Harry Potter  
**

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14-year old James Sirius Potter had a wicked smile on his face. He glanced at his partners in crime – his best friend Jason Brown and his 12-year old brother, Albus Severus Potter. Both of them grinned back at him, raising their wands. With a quick glance at the teachers' table, they aimed at the Slytherins and muttered together, "Ignis."

The Weasley firecrackers they had rigged under the Slytherin table exploded. The salad in the middle of the table went 'WHOOSH' and everyone got sprayed with lettuce. The Slytherins were splattered with food. Those who had made the mistake of opening their mouths to scream had their mouths filled with mashed potato. The Great Hall erupted with laughter. Up at the teachers' table, McGonagall sighed and looked at the Gryffindors. As expected, James Potter was laughing his head off. Though no one could prove it this time, she knew it was him. It always was. She thought she'd seen the end of all major pranks when the Marauders had left school, but it seemed that this James was determined to outdo his grandfather when it came to pranks. Not to mention he'd inherited the ever useful Invisibility Cloak too. As she watched him, he looked down the table to where – predictably – Rosalie Williams was seated. She was a beautiful 4th year Gryffindor, red hair, beautiful grey eyes and a temper as fiery as her hair. She was an exceptionally talented muggleborn whom James had asked out (and gotten hexed) approximately 20 times that year. McGonagall smiled, as Rosalie glared at James and looked away. Maybe the boy was more like his grandfather than she'd thought after all. Squeals of disgust brought her back to reality. She sighed again. Time to clean up the Slytherins.

***

The next morning, James Sirius Potter woke up all alone in his dormitory. Everyone, including Jason had gone home for Christmas. Albus would be there of course, their parents had gone to Italy for the holidays. Rosalie would be there too. He had a massive crush on her. The problem was, she hated him. She had friends in other houses and he pranked them too often. She'd found him arrogant, self centered and didn't hesitate to hex him. He loved it when she got angry, her grey eyes would flash and her hair would whip around and her face would turn pink and-

"Ouch," he exclaimed as a pillow landed on his head, "what was that for?" he demanded.

"I've been waiting in the common room for the last half an hour bro. I got bored," grinned his brother Albus. The kid was scary. He was all innocent for the teachers but he had the most ingenious mind when it came to pulling off pranks. His sister Lily was even scarier. She was positively evil.

"Lost in daydreams of Rosalie?" guessed Albus.

"They were nice before you interrupted," grumbled James getting dressed.

After a lot of present opening, the two brothers headed down for breakfast to the Great Hall, when a voice stopped them. "Potter," they heard someone call. Turning around, they saw McGonagall striding towards them. "You can't prove we did yesterday's prank Professor," said James immediately. Albus stepped on his foot and rolled his eyes. Really, James might be the older on, but he sucked at covering up his crimes. That was why he needed Albus.

"I'm aware of that Potter, although your comment and your brother stepping on your foot could count as a confession. I want you to come to my office now," said McGonagall. The brothers looked at each other and then followed her. She was Headmistress, so they headed towards the gargoyle that guarded what used to be the office of Albus Dumbledore. When they entered, the boys gasped in amazement. Despite all their mischief, they had never been up here before. It was still pretty much like their dad had described except for a vase of roses which was obviously McGonagall's addition.

"Well Albus," she said. "Yes," asked two voices. She turned around. "I forgot both of you have the same name," she said, "I guess I'll have to call you two by your surnames then," she said turning to the paintings behind her.

The boys came closer and found a portrait of an old man with long silver hair smiling at them. "Albus Dumbledore," whispered Al. His eyes fell on the next portrait, a man with dark greasy hair and a hooked nose. "Severus Snape," said Al, "you're the Slytherin Headmaster dad told me about!"

"Yeah, well, your dad took inter-house unity a little too far when he named a Gryffindor after a Slytherin like me," said Snape.

"Now, now, Severus, Harry was only being thankful for all your help," smiled Dumbledore.

"Um, excuse me, but if we're going to gel a month's detention or something, can you get on with it Professor? I'm just really hungry," said James suddenly.

Snape grinned. "I see what you mean Minerva. The boy is just like his grandfather."

"You're not getting detention otter. And you can have breakfast right here," said McGonagall, waving her wand and making a plate of toast appear on the table. "You're here because we want to tell you a story." Both boys looked at her, confused. She continued, "You remind me so much of my godson, your grandfather and namesake, James Potter. Especially because he also fancied a very pretty redhead."

James blushed.

Albus stared at her. "How do you know about that?" he demanded.

McGonagall raised an eyebrow. "I think the Bat Bogey Hex she used on him while shouting at him to leave her alone and stop asking her out last week gave it away," she said dryly.

This time, Albus blushed. He'd been the one who'd told James to ask her out right after their Transfiguration class.

James sighed. "There's no point, she won't go out with me. She hates me, he said sadly.

Dumbledore smiled, "Yes, that's what your grandfather said occasionally. But he would always think of new ways to win Lily Evans' heart, no matter how many times she rejected him. His persistence finally paid off."

"Took him long enough though," said Snape.

"Wait, Grandma kept rejecting him?" asked James.

"Oh yes, we thought you might like to hear the story and since you're not going home for Christmas, we could tell you the story right now," said McGonagall.

"All right!" said both the boys, sitting down on the comfortable armchairs that McGonagall conjured up.

She cleared her throat, "Once upon a time –"

"Um Professor," James interrupted, "no offense but we're not 5 years old and this isn't a fairy tale."

"Oh, believe me kid, when Lily said yes, it was a miracle fit to be part of a fairytale all right," said Snape.

"Oi, I'm telling the story here. And stop chuckling Dumbledore," snapped McGonagall.

Dumbledore immediately put on a saintly face as both students grinned but he winked at them once she turned around again. James had no doubt that the old man was as deviously ingenious as his brother. That was a scary thought.

"Yes he is," said Snape suddenly. Everyone looked at him. "Yes Dumbledore is very deviously ingenious," he said looking at James.

"How did you – wait, can portraits use Legilimency???" spluttered James. Snape just grinned pretty deviously himself.

McGonagall cleared her throat, "If anyone wants to hear the story…?"

"YES!" yelled both brothers looking at her expectantly.

McGonagall finally began-

It all started in 1971 when James Potter and Lily Evans came to Hogwarts…

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**Hope you liked it!! Please review and let me know what you thought!!**


	2. Chapter 2

_Hey!! Sorry I'm updating after such a long time!! _

_A big thanks to all the people who alerted or put my story on their favourites list._

_A special thank you to _Lizzle09 _and_ pigckle8 _for my first reviews!!! Thank you so much!!!_

_Ok, in this chapter, McGonagall is narrating the story of Lily and James. Whenever Snape or Dumbledore or anyone interrupts her, it's in **bold letters**._

_Please, please read and review!! I hope to get more reviews next time and please do leave any suggestions or ideas so I can make this story better!!_

_Disclaimer : I don't own Harry Potter_

I should probably_ not_ have made them sit beside each other on the first day.

The first task for all first years of course, was to turn a matchstick into a needle.

"**I can't believe you haven't changed the syllabus in nearly 40 years!" said Albus looking horrified.**

"**Yes, well, it is a little difficult to find an easier first lesson, especially in Transfiguration. And might I remind you that your own matchstick remained resolutely wooden in your first class?" said McGonagall raising an eyebrow. Albus blushed and waved at her to continue with the story. **

Well James always excelled at Transfiguration. In about half an hour, he proudly showed me a perfect needle. He looked around. No one had made too much progress. On one side of him, Lily had managed to get her matchstick all silver and pointy. On the other side, Sirius Black was just looking bored. Beyond him, Remus Lupin had a pointy matchstick that he was frowning at.

"**Wait, Sirius Black? Dad's godfather?" asked James suddenly perking up.**

"**And Remus Lupin, as in Teddy Lupin's dad?" asked Albus.**

"**Oh yes, the most adorable first years I've ever seen," said Dumbledore happily.**

**Snape and McGonagall looked at him together in disbelief.**

"**Adorable? I think I have too much wax paint in my ears. Did you just say adorable??" demanded Snape.**

"**Easy for you to say, **_**you **_**didn't have your hair standing straight up when they charmed the ceiling to actually start raining and that lightning bolt just missed me," muttered McGonagall darkly, glaring at Dumbledore.**

**Everyone burst into laughter at the image of McGonagall with her hair standing up.**

**Snape smirked, "No offence Minerva, but as much as I hate to admit it, that was a hilarious prank." "This is why I didn't want you two listening to the story," grumbled McGonagall. She continued**

Of course James couldn't resist playing a prank on someone even if it was his first day in school. His first victim ever, was Alice Andrews. She was waving her wand very randomly and saying the incantation and when she looked away, he swapped his needle for her matchstick.

"**That's not really funny," said James.**

"**They were eleven years old, it was their first class," said McGonagall.**

Well Alice turned back and her eyes widened as she saw the needle. She started jumping up and down squealing, "I did it! I did it! My mum thought I was going to be really bad at Transfiguration but I'm not!!" I didn't really have that much faith in her abilities since she'd been struggling for the whole class, so I gave her another match and told her to turn it into a needle again.

Alice waved her wand over her new matchstick confidently saying the spell.

Nothing happened.

"What? No, I'm sure I did it once! Why can't I do it again?" she said. She waved her wand again and again, pretty much shouting at the match in frustration. I looked at James who had obviously told Sirius what was going on and they were both sniggering quietly. "Why's it not working?" Alice wailed.

"I think Mr. Potter will be able to answer that seeing as his needle seems to have turned back into a matchstick," I said coldly looking at him.

Alice was really disappointed and embarrassed at making a fool of herself in front of the whole class. Lily had been watching. She had befriended Alice the previous day and now, she rounded on James angrily.

"How could you do something so mean?" she demanded.

"It was just a prank Evans, and how is it your problem anyway?" he retorted. James had already sized her up to be a goody-two-shoes kind of person.

"She's my friend and I care about what happens to my friends," said Lily.

"You've only known her for a day and she's already such a good friend?" asked James incredulously.

"Yes she is! You should know that's possible since he's acting like your pet dog now isn't he?" retorted Lily pointing at Sirius, who glared back at her.

"Shut up Evans," he muttered. Remus was watching interestedly. Actually, he was wondering which of them would make Gryffindor lose house points for fighting in a classroom first. He was betting on James. The bespectacled boy could just not resist showing off. He looked at Alice who was waving her wand over her match dejectedly again, "Hey Andrews, maybe I could give you my needle again," he said. Alice was 11 years old and she'd been embarrassed in front of the whole class so she burst into tears. Since Lily wasn't as adept at hexes as she became later, she did the first thing she could think of to defend her friend.

She slapped James for the first and definitely not the last time.

I decided to stop them before the fight got out of hand. Sirius was rubbing his hand on the desk, looking ready to slap her back. I opened my mouth to tell them off and take away points.

Sirius created the first distraction of the year.

He'd been holding the match in his hand and rubbing the desk. It was a pretty stupid thing to happen but he was in a bad mood so he unconsciously used magic as well.

The desk burst into flames.

The class screamed and ran out, completely forgetting that a trained and experienced teacher was in the room.

Total chaos. The marauders had managed it in their first class even before they ganged up and started playing pranks on purpose.

To cut a long story short, I managed to avoid getting stampeded, put out the fire and rushed after the culprits responsible for disrupting my class. They were hurrying down a corridor, Lily with her arm around Alice. James and Sirius were laughing and Remus was trying not to smile. They stopped when Lily said, "You're a really arrogant git Potter."

James rounded on her, "Would you give it a rest Evans? Anyway, I bet you're just jealous that you couldn't even turn a matchstick into a needle and you just want to cover up the fact that you're no good at magic."

Lily stared at him with pure hatred. Her expression suddenly changed to anger as she plucked the needle from his hand and poked it into his arm. "OW!" he yelled, "What was that for?"

"That was for not knowing when and how to keep your big, fat mouth shut!" she yelled and ran away, but not before Remus saw tears at the corners of her eyes. "What was all that about?" muttered James. Alice looked at him, "She's a muggleborn," she huffed before walking away angrily. James looked confused so Remus sighed and began to explain, "She's a muggleborn so she obviously had no idea about magic. She came here hoping that she's not going to be too bad and you just destroyed her self confidence."

"Well it's about time she got back down to earth," said James but there was just a bit of guilt on his face.

Somehow, I knew that Lily Evans was going to punish him much better than I could.

Lily ran through the corridors till she suddenly bumped into Severus. "Whoa Lily, I know you're excited but - " He stopped when he saw her tearstained face. "What's worng?" he asked concerned. They walked down to the lake while Lily ranted, " – and then he told me I'm no good at magic even though my match was all silver and pointy too. But what if that was just an accident Sev? What if I'm really bad at magic?" she asked, looking at him with worried eyes. "No, don't think like that Lily. You're going to be an amazing witch and if some arrogant prat like Potter can't see how good you are, it's his loss. So what if he's better at Transfiguration? You'll just beat him at everything else. I'm sure of it," said Severus. She gave him a watery smile. "Thanks Sev. You're the best." She didn't notice that his smile grew a whole lot bigger at the praise.

"**It did not!" exclaimed Snape from the portrait.**

"**Oh yeah, it did," said McGonagall. She had her chance to get back at him.**

"**IT did not! I was just happy that she was cheering up. She was my best friend."**

"**Can portraits blush?" asked James, "Or is it just a trick of the light?"**

"**You are blushing, you are blushing," sang McGonagall delightedly.**

**James and Albus exchanged glances. It was slightly scary to see their serious Headmistress sing like that. "Anyway, you should get on with the story before it's time for lunch," said Snape quickly trying to cover up.**

"**One question," said Al. "How do you know about the conversation between Severus and Lily? Did you guys stalk them or something?" **

"**Well….not really," said Dumbledore smiling, "I knew as soon as they all came to Hogwarts that something interesting was going to happen between them. So I kept a few tabs on them."**

"**So you did stalk them."**

"**Minerva, Severus is right, you really should get on with the story," said Dumbledore hurriedly avoiding the shocked look that Severus was giving him after learning that he had been stalked.**

**McGonagall grinned and continued.**

Well James was feeling pretty low by now. He did have an excellent conscience for everything to do with Lily. He looked at Sirius who was sitting beside him in Charms. "I have to apologize to her don't I?"

"Well she did kind of deserve it but she _was_ just looking out for friend. And she can't help being a muggleborn and being ignorant of a lot of magic stuff. I can sympathise with her on that, you can't really choose your family," said Sirius, "So yeah, an apology is kind of necessary." Remus smiled, "It'll be over before you know it." Peter, the newest addition to their little group chimed in too, "I'm sure she'll forgive you." "Yeah," said James. He had no idea why he wanted her to forgive him so much. He just knew she had to. So that evening after dinner, he went up to her in the common room.

"Hey Lily, I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. And Alice, I shouldn't have made fun of you. Besides Evans, you were way better than me at Charms and Potions today," he added. Alice smiled and nodded. Lily looked at him, and said, "It's okay. I just need to find my feet here that's all. It's very different from what I've been used to. I'm sorry I poked you with a needle. And I shouldn't have slapped you either."

He smiled, "That's okay too! Well see you round Evans."

James practically bounded up to the boys' dormitory. "I did it and she forgave me!" he yelled. The other boys grinned at his exuberance. Sirius clapped him on the shoulder, "Great, so now you can ask her out!"

"What? No! I don't have a crush on her!" said James.

"Then why are you jumping for joy just because she accepted your apology?"

"Oh come on-" started James, trying to defend himself from three grinning boys.

"**Well that was how their first day went, started with a fight and ended with an apology," sighed Dumbledore reminiscently.**

**Snape snorted, "That's how most of their days went. Except the fights got a lot more violent."**

"**Wait, how is this supposed to help me with Rosalie?" asked James.**

"**Well, you seem to have a thing for annoying her too don't you? I'm sure you remember your first day and the fact that she woke up with a cream pie in her hair that said JP on it?" said McGonagall.**

"**Oh….yeah…." said James sheepishly.**

"**So Grandpa James loved to get Lily all angry just to think about how pretty she looks when she's mad at him too?" asked Albus.**

"**Hey I don't do that!" said James indignantly.**

"**Yes you do, it's what you were doing when I woke you up this morning."**

"**Okay, maybe once in a while…."**

"**More like every couple of minutes."**

"**Yes, well the points is, Lily found James just as arrogant and conceited and immature as Rosalie finds you," said Dumbledore. "It took Lily six years to see that James was actually a good guy and it took him six years to deflate his head and let her see that he was actually a good guy. We're telling you this story from the beginning so that you won't make the same mistakes he did and you'll be able to have a longer time with Rosalie than he did with Lily."**

"**Oh…" said James, "well from what you've said, I guess I am a lot like him…"**

"**More than you can imagine kid, especially with those thoughts whenever someone says 'Rosalie'" said Snape.**

**James blushed, "How can portraits do Legilimency? It's not fair."**

**Dumbledore chuckled, "Stay out of his head Severus."**

"**Well it's time for lunch so why don't we continue later?" asked McGonagall.**

"**Can't we have lunch up here? There's hardly anyone else in the castle," said Al.**

"**Oh alright, I'll go and inform the house elves. Meanwhile.." she rummaged in her desk for a moment and pulled out a stack of letters. "These are some of the Gryffindors' first letters home. It has their first impressions of each other. I was saving them for your father but he didn't have such an epic love story, so you'll find them more interesting. You can read them while I arrange for lunch."**

**She left the room just as the boys picked up a letter.**

_PLEASE REVIEW!!!_


	3. Chapter 3

_Hey! I'm really sorry about the delay in putting this chapter up. I've had this written down for AGES and just couldn't find the time to type it in. School has been too busy. Anyway, this chapter is in the form of the first letters written by the Marauders and Lily about each other. Like in the last chapter, whenever James or Albus or anyone makes a comment it's in **bold letters**. That's how it's going to be in all the chapters._

_Thanks a lot to all my reviewers! You made me so happy!_

_I hope I get a lot more reviews this time!_

_Disclaimer:I don't own Harry Potter_

_Enjoy!  
_

**James looked over Albus' shoulder to read the letter.**

Dear Mum and Dad,

Hogwarts is amazing! There are staircases that move and paintings that talk and visit each other and the food magically appears on the tables! We eat in the Great Hall. The ceiling there is enchanted to look like the sky outside. I hope you're not too startled that I'm sending this letter through an owl. I nearly had a heart attack when hundreds of owls soared in during breakfast but that's how post is delivered here. The school is a HUGE castle with a lake and a tree that hits out at you. Everything is just so _alive._

The classes are great. Professor McGonagall who came to give me my letter teaches Transfiguration which is, unfortunately, my worst subject and stupid James Potter's best. We have a ghost teaching History of Magic. He's as boring as the subject. My favorites are Charms and Potions. My Potions teacher says that I'm the best potion brewer he's ever seen. Severus is very good at it too. We're often partners and it feels so good to know someone whom I can count on.

"**She seems really close to you. She knew you before school?" asked James looking at Snape. "Yes, she was almost my neighbor and we were really close friends before things got…complicated…A wonderful girl, full of kindness and personality and courage. A true Gryffindor," he replied. Albus looked at Snape uncomfortably. The teacher had a look that Al found very familiar although he couldn't think why. He put it out of his mind and continued reading.**

I've made some really good friends. Alice Andrews is certainly going to be my best friend. She's a nice kind sweet girl who's amazing at Herbology. Mary Macdonald is an honest, beautiful little girl. They're both purebloods. They come from old wizarding families so I was a little afraid they wouldn't like me but they don't really care about me being muggleborn. They just like me for who I am and frankly, they were extremely fascinated when I told them about telephones.

The only people I don't like are the Gryffindor boys in my year. James Potter is their ringleader and he is the _most_ annoying boy EVER. His best friend Sirius Black is not much better. They both enjoy pulling off pranks and in the past week, I've been their victim twice. First, they started a totally immature water balloon fight. Then, they replaced the water in the balloons with some sort of glue and made feathers fall from the ceiling with the poltergeist's help (his name's Peeves) so we all looked like owls. A lot of people found it funny but I just thought it was kind of lame. Remus Lupin, their other friend is nice. He's not as bad as them and he enjoys reading. His mum's a muggle so he's read some of the books I have and we often talk about them together. The fourth boy in their group is Peter Pettigrew. He's a bit shy, so I don't really know much about him.

How is Petunia? I sent her a letter but I guess the owl got lost or something because she didn't reply. I hope you guys are well!

Lots of love,

Lily

"**She really hated James didn't she?" asked James. "Oh not much yet. It got more interesting after he started asking her out 10 times a day that she really started hexing him and hating him at the same time," said Dumbledore. "I never thought they'd end up together," added Snape. "Oh yeah, you always hoped –" started Dumbledore but Snape cut him off, "Why don't you two get started on the next letter? Minerva will be back soon." Albus frowned at the sudden change in topic but James had already picked up another letter.**

Dear dad,

I LOVE HOGWARTS! It is as amazing as you described it and everything about it says "magic."

I ran into this guy called Sirius Black on the train ride and he is now my best friend. His whole family was in Slytherin but he's one of the best Gryffindors ever! He loves pranks just as much as I do and we have so many plans already. We can't wait to learn enough magic to make our pranks better. I think your old Invisibility Cloak is going to be _very_ useful. My other roommates are Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. Remus is really smart but he loves to have fun too. I think he's going to be a great friend and is going to have a big role in all our pranks. Peter is just about average at everything, but he can really talk fast and worm his way out of trouble. Together, we will be unstoppable! Hogwarts won't know what hit it.

I guess I should tell you about my classes or mum will be disappointed in us both. Transfiguration is my best subject of course. Although she doesn't show it, I think Aunt Minnie is very proud of me.

**At this everyone listening burst into laughter. "Aunt Minnie?" said James nearly choking with laughter. "Oh wait till she gets back, I can't wait to tease her about this," said Snape, his eyes glinting evilly. **

"**Be careful Severus. The last time anyone called her that was when James did and I remember her sentencing him to a month of detention with Filch. He had to scrub every suit of armour in the castle," chortled Dumbledore. "I have a vague memory of that. I think Black dared him to call her Aunt Minnie in front of everyone in the Great Hall in fourth year. Then, Potter chased him out of the Hall promising to hex him into oblivion after he found out that Black purposely graffitied all the suits of armour," said Snape. Dumbledore chuckled as the boys laughed, "I also remember Sirius ending up in the hospital wing after James hexed him so badly, he ended up with an elephant trunk and his robes kept screaming, 'I don't know when a prank is funny and when it's not.' Can't really blame James though, there are nearly 200 suits of armour here," said Dumbledore. "Did he get more detention for that?" asked Albus eagerly. "No Minerva felt that as Sirius was the one who'd dared James do that in the first place he could have some of the punishment too. She didn't transfigure his elephant trunk back into his nose until James finished with all his detentions," said Dumbledore.**

"**It's a good prank, maybe we should try it sometime," said James. The brothers turned back to the letter.**

I'm good at all the other classes too. Especially DADA. Potions is my downfall though. Lily Evans is top of that class. She's really pretty (I hope Sirius never sees this) and has a temper as fiery as her hair. She's already slapped me twice and shouted at me as badly as McGonagall after our water balloon prank. Honestly she's a little stuck up but she's also really nice as long as she's not shouting at you. I also hope Sirius never finds out that I wrote more about her than I did about _him_.

I also can't believe the Quidditch captain won't let me near a broom. He says first years aren't allowed. Can't he even give me a chance to show him how good I am?

Give my love to mum. I'll write her a more appropriate letter tomorrow!

Love,

James

"**Yep, he's as conceited as you bro," said Albus grinning at his brother. "It runs in the family. Let's see who the next letter is from," said James picking up another letter.**

Dear Mum and Dad,

Hope you're both well. I like Hogwarts very much. Once again, I can't thank Professor Dumbledore enough for giving me a chance to come here. They've planted a giant fighting tree and built a passage to accommodate my condition. Right now, everybody is very nice to me and I hope they never find out what I am.

My fellow Gryffindors are the best friends I could ever have. James Potter _is _a little self-centered but his heart is in the right place. He always sticks up for his friends and doesn't leave anyone out. Sirius Black is, well, the black sheep of the Black family. His family is a bunch of purebloods with a massive superiority complex but he is the complete opposite. Many of the older girls find him cute so he's already thinking of himself as a real ladies' man. Merlin help us (and him) when he grows older. He and James love playing pranks and I love helping them out with the technicalities. Sometimes, they just don't plan out their pranks. Peter Pettigrew completes our quartet. He's a shy boy, but he seems to have quite some talent. He just needs to channel his energies in the right direction.

Among the girls, Lily Evans is the only friend I've had the guts to make. She's a wonderful girl, full of charm and brains and energy. She's muggleborn so we have a lot in common with reading tastes. She's also like James' and Sirius' conscience sometimes, especially when think of a particularly outrageous prank and she glares at them. She's very good at magic too so she'll be hexing them in no time. Although he denies it, I think James just might have a thing for her. I can't really blame him, you just can't help liking Lily Evans.

"**Did he ever have a crush on Lily?" asked James. "No he was only ever her best friend. He was always there for her," said Snape. "I thought you said you were her best friend," said Albus. "We had a bit of a…fallout," said Snape bitterly, "she never forgave me for it." Again Al noticed the look of longing and regret on Snape's face. It reminded him of something about his brother but he decided to think about it later. They started reading again.**

Anyway, I need some help making up excuses to hide my absence every month. Any ideas?

Love,

Remus

"**I wish he were still alive. I wouldn't care about him being a werewolf, he'd have made a great uncle," said Albus. James was sorting through the letters. "Let's read Sirius' letter now," he said.**

Dear Regulus,

Hey bro! All my friends are writing letters to their families and I couldn't explain why I didn't want to. So I decided to write to you. I know this is probably unexpected but we've had some good times and you're the closest family I've got. I thought of Andromeda, but she _is _a little fussy about rules and I wanted to tell you about the ones my mates and I have broken.

We had fun with some pranks. Thank Merlin the Sorting Hat put me in Gryffindor. Mum will probably disinherit me when she finds out but who cares? It didn't even consider Slytherin you know. MY best friend, James Potter, loves having fun just like me. We really enjoyed a water/glue balloon fight where we managed to make everyone look like owls. I can't wait to learn magic so we can pull off all these really awesome pranks we have in mind. There's also Remus Lupin who has some seriously wicked ideas and Peter Pettigrew who's the smoothest talker I've ever seen. Professor McGonagall is our head of house and we love driving her up the wall.

Miraculously, we haven't landed in detention yet. But, we did lose about 30 points for Gryffindor right in the first week. Well, Remus and Evans did win back about 25 for knowing too much in class. Lily Evans is currently the girl of James' dreams even though he tries to deny it. I'm turning out to be quite the ladies' man myself. All the senior girls think I'm adorable. The only thing I can thank our "family" for are my looks.

Anyway, I hope you're alright at home without me.

Try not to get too caught up in all the pureblood mania.

Sirius

"**Well…that was…unexpected," said James. "Why'd he hate his family so much?" "His parents believed that purebloods deserved to be placed above all others in society and that Voldemort had the right idea. Sirius disagreed. He didn't believe any of his parents' ideologies and did his best to alienate himself from them. But he saw that his friends loved their families and he was afraid that they wouldn't like him if they knew how he felt about his family and how his family probably felt about them," answered Dumbledore. **

"**But he wrote to his brother," said Albus. **

"**Sirius Black was a strange character. He hated his family but he was only two years older than his brother so he tried to be Regulus' role model. They used to run and play like muggles unknown to their parents and Sirius tried to give Regulus the childhood he never had. They were close for about a year after Regulus came to Hogwarts but then Regulus joined the Death Eater wannabes and Sirius had nothing to do with him after that,' said Snape. **

"**You conveniently left out the fact that you wanted to be a Death Eater too," said Dumbledore's voice in Snape's head suddenly. "Get out of my head Dumbledore," snapped Snape.**

"**But he changed. Dad told us the whole Voldemort story last year and he said Regulus became a good guy," said James. "He wasn't the only one," muttered Snape. Dumbledore spoke, "The Sorting Hat puts you in houses depending on your gifts but how you use your talents depends on you. There have been many cases where circumstances have forced Slytherins to behave like Gryffindors and vice versa." "I can't believe a Gryffindor would ever be a Slytherin," said James. "Looks like your father didn't tell you the whole story then. Well you'll find out soon enough," said Snape mysteriously. James and Albus decided to find out what he meant later and picked up the last letter.**

Dear Mum,

I hope you're fine. I like Hogwarts a lot. I've actually made friends here. I'm not very good at the classes. All my friends are much better at them but they still like me and help me out a lot.

Remus Lupin gives me the most help. He's very nice and patient and gets along with everyone. Sirius gets a little rude when I don't get what he's talking about quickly but he's a really nice friend and he's always ready to help me even if it's for a short time. James is very protective. He doesn't let anyone make fun of me or bully me. The others say that he likes this girl called Lily Evans. I think I have a crush on her. She's really pretty and sweet and kind but she doesn't know me at all because I get really shy around her. I hope one day I'll have the guts to talk to her.

I know this is a really short letter but you know how dad gets when he hears how miserable I am at schoolwork. Please don't let him know yet. I hope you're doing well.

Love,

Peter

"**That was…weird," said Albus slowly. James was looking slightly repulsed, "He had a crush on Lily?" "I can't believe it!" exclaimed Snape. "Of all people, Peter Pettigrew expected Lily Evans to ever like **_**him**_**? I mean, she was this really amazing girl and he was just…Peter Pettigrew!" **

"**That look on your face is so familiar! I just can't quite place it yet," said Albus. He was staring at Snape intently. **

"**What look?" asked Snape quickly trying to look innocent. **

"**That expression you have whenever you talk about Lily. It reminds me of someone. What do you think?" he asked James.**

"**I don't know, I've never seen it anywhere else," said James shrugging. **

"**Maybe that's because you might have seen it on James' face, Albus," said Dumbledore with the old mischievous twinkle in his eye. Snape gulped as both Albuses turned to look at him. One Albus was scary enough but two were just terrifying. If the boys figured out that he had had a crush on Lily…well it would be awkward to say the least…**

**McGonagall saved the day.**

"**Not bad, I leave you alone for a while and the room's still in one piece," she said striding in, not noticing that everyone was staring at Snape's portrait.**

**Snape gave a huge sigh as everyone looked at her.**

"**I **_**was**_** a good Headmaster you know Minerva, I wouldn't have let them do anything naughty," said Dumbledore grinning.**

**McGonagall snorted. "If it weren't for me, you'd have blown up this place a long time ago Dumbledore. I seem to remember an anonymous letter that I happened to find written in a handwriting suspiciously similar to yours listing a number of imaginative pranks addressed to the Weasley twins on your table once. They could have left the castle in ruins."**

**Dumbledore put on an innocent look. "Why Minerva, I am deeply hurt –"**

"**Yeah, whatever. You're responsible for a few of my grey hairs too. Now let's have some lunch before we continue." She picked up a sandwich and the boys sat back to hear the next part of the story…**

_Please do review and let me know what you think and how I can make this story better._**  
**


	4. Chapter 4

_Hey! I am so glad you liked the last chapter! I was so happy to receive all your reviews! _

_This chapter is a bit of an experiment. I'm trying to show why Lily hated James so much and also show how he was actually a nice guy. This is set in their second year. I'm probably going to be skipping through major incidents in each of the year till I reach the seventh year where all the actual Lily X James stuff happens. As always, the story is in McGonagall's POV and the interruptions are in **bold letters**._

_I hope to get a lot more reviews this time!_

_DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter and I never will..._

Nothing really interesting happened in their first year. Lily and James fought and apologized a lot. James didn't really know why he pranked her or got her so angry that often. He just knew that he had to see her and hear her talk to him every day even if she was shouting at him. He loved attention and tried to gather it all the time, but Lily's attention was the most important to him. He always thought that it was because she was so fussy about the rules and it felt good to break them in front of her but he didn't realize that it was because, deep inside, he had feelings for her.

But, as much as James tried to get Lily's attention, she tried to escape it. By the end of the first year, she had been the victim of 10 of the Marauders' 30 pranks. And of course, they loathed Severus. They found him to be a typical Slytherin and made sure that he didn't associate with any of the Gryffindors especially not Lily. House unity was a pretty foreign concept to them in those days. Remus wasn't really bothered. He found it slightly cruel. But James and Sirius, especially James, treated Severus as badly as they could. They didn't even care about getting into trouble.

In their second year, they got even more out of hand. They were no longer the youngest in the school and the prospect of having younger students look up to them made them excited. They spent most of their summer planning a big start-of-term prank. It involved a lot of noise and fireworks, but it was almost insignificant compared to the fireworks between Lily and James that year. Their first fight of the year took place on the train.

Lily had been walking down to the lunch trolley which she'd missed since she'd been asleep when it came by her compartment. When she finally caught up with it, she found James and Sirius coming out to get some sweets too. Since she'd been on civil if not too friendly terms with them the previous year, she greeted them.

"Hello Potter, Black."

They ignored her.

She raised an eyebrow and tried again.

"Hello Potter, Black."

This time they turned to her. "Why Evans! Hello! Can you believe we didn't notice her Sirius?" asked James in a tone that said, 'let's tease her.'

"I really can't James. Though how we missed a head so red that even a troll would think it was on fire, I don't know," said Sirius and they both laughed.

"Well that just proves you two are thicker than trolls doesn't it?" said Lily loftily.

"Actually Evans, we did notice you. In fact, James was debating on whether to get a bucket of water to put out the fire on your head."

Lily pulled out her wand, "Watch it Black, or you're going to see some _real _fire," she growled.

"Oh look James, isn't that steam coming out of ears now? I'm surprised there was anything to burn in her head at all."

Lily pointed her wand at Sirius before either of them could react and cried, "Incendio!" Sirius started screaming as both he and James tried to beat out the fire that had started on his head. The compartment door opened as Remus rushed out with three water bottles in his hand.

Lily looked at Sirius condescendingly, "You should really know better than to insult someone who was at the top of the Charms class, Black." She turned on her heel and walked away just as Remus emptied the last of the three bottles on Sirius' head. A smirk appeared on her face as the last thing she heard as she entered her own compartment was Sirius' agonized voice saying, "My hair! My beautiful, luscious hair!"

"Was that Black screaming?" asked her friend Alison Hayes. Alison had been a very shy girl in their dormitory. She had soft brown hair and beautiful blue eyes. One day, the Marauders had pranked her by making the back of her robes flash rude messages. They'd woken up with long, pink, braided hair (that Flitwick had to change back later) and a note saying, "The quietest ones are the most dangerous." Alison had won their respect after that and had become good friends with the Marauders too. She and Sirius were the only ones who could rival James and Lily's shouting matches but they were also very good friends.

"Yeah, who else is as obsessed with their hair?" asked Lily.

"What did they do this time?" asked Mary.

"I tried to be nice; they annoyed me so I set Sirius' head on fire."

"That was dangerous though," said Alice.

"No, I knew Remus was in the compartment with water. I wouldn't do anything dangerous. I don't want to land in detention," said Lily.

"**She's a bit of a stickler for the rules isn't she?" asked James. "Well she did relax a bit in the later years. Mostly after James started asking her out and she needed to break a few rules in the corridors," replied McGonagall.**

The rest of the train ride went smoothly. It was after the feast that the Marauders started bullying the kids. James pushed a first year out of a chair and sat down in the common room.

"Potter get out of that chair. That boy was sitting in it!" said Lily angrily.

"He _was _but now I am," replied James with a cocky grin.

"You're just a year older than him! There are plenty of empty chairs here. You're just being an arrogant idiot again."

"Well I have every right to. In case you haven't noticed, my friends and I are the only source of any excitement here. And I tied for first place in the exams with you last year. I'm cool."

"You're not cool, you're just a jerk. Just because you're good at something and are pampered at home doesn't give you the right to be mean to others."

"Um…I could just sit in another chair," said the first year timidly but neither James nor Lily heard him as they were shouting at the top of their voices by now.

"Don't worry about it," said Remus kindly. "You might as well get used to their fights. You're going to see plenty of them." "Why do they fight anyway?" asked the boy. "It makes them happy," said Mary grinning. "Although I have to admit, Potter's head is bigger this year." "Yeah well, he spent two months being praised and pampered, what do you expect?" asked Alison. "Let's go up, they'll tire out eventually," said Alice. The second years trooped up leaving a very confused first year behind.

"**Wait they're second years now. James is allowed on a broom," said James excitedly. "Did he make the team?" "I'm coming to that now," said McGonagall.**

By the end of the month, the Marauders had lost quite a few points and earned five detentions. But, they continued to be as notorious as ever. They teased the younger kids. But, for all their faults, they were still kind and never let any hard feelings form between all the non-Slytherin subjects of their pranks. But even among the Slytherins, the one person they especially disliked was Severus. They went out of their way to humiliate him. The one incident that made any regard Lily might have had for them completely disappear was Quidditch tryouts.

Lily had convinced Severus to watch with her even though it was the Gryffindor tryouts. Because of the Marauders' popularity and James' incessant boasting, most of the school had turned up. Lily and her friends found a seat beside Remus who wrinkled his nose when he saw Severus but said nothing. Peter squeaked incoherently and quickly made room for them.

Alice trained her binoculars on the field. "Hey, I can see Potter and Black. I can't believe a second year would try out for beater," she said.

"Yeah well, Black's head is so thick, even a bludger can't penetrate it," said Alison dryly. She and Sirius had had a huge fight over a piece of toast that morning much to the amusement of their friends. They watched as the captain, a fifth year boy named Mike Stewart, called all the aspiring Chasers out first. They were made to work with the two chasers already on the team. They were tested first on their passing and shooting skills.

"He wasn't lying, he really can fly!" said Mary, looking at James as he zoomed past (with a customary wave at Lily who waved her wand threateningly back at him). Even Lily had to admit that he was very agile and quick and an excellent team player. His arrogance on the ground didn't affect his teamwork skills at all. Sirius was just as good. He even managed to give the Captain a good sized bruise with a well aimed bludger. After about two hours, Stewart called them all on the pitch and announced the results.

"Potter, you're definitely the new Chaser. I haven't seen a 12 year old kid who can fly that well in my life."

James looked thrilled but slightly annoyed by the "kid" comment.

"Jack Newman, you're our first new Beater. Sirius Black, you're the second. I'll let you know when I schedule a practice session. Congrats on making the team and try not to get too carried away, we haven't won the tournament yet." Stewart walked away, leaving the youngsters behind.

"We're in!" yelled James and Sirius grinning broadly. Remus and Peter came up to them to congratulate them. Lily and her friends followed. Snape was trying to sneak away but unfortunately, James spotted him. "Well Snivellus, come to marvel at my talents?" he asked loudly.

Severus turned slowly, "No, I came to figure out how your big head can even be supported by a broomstick."

"Well I've obviously proved how good a Quidditch player I am. It's more than you can claim. I doubt you can even get onto a broomstick," said James.

"Of course I can!" retorted Snape.

"Let's see you try. Get on that broom and fly around the pitch."

Severus looked at the school broom James was pointing at. He walked over to it and missed the sly smile James gave Sirius. Lily however saw it. She also noticed Sirius take out his wand. She slipped her own hand into her pocket just in case. Severus reached for the broomstick. It rolled away. He walked towards it again. It started twitching and suddenly started bucking like a bull at a rodeo. He desperately tried to grab it and get on. People around him were laughing loudly. He stepped forward but the broom tail smacked him in the face. People laughed harder.

"Stop it!" yelled Lily pointing her own wand at Sirius and saying a quick spell. He was immediately thrown backwards. She stepped forward and slapped James hard. "Why do you always pick on him?" she demanded.

"He's a Slytherin. What other reason do I need?" retorted James.

"You get your swollen head back to earth Potter. Just because you won a place on the team does _not_ make you a god!"

"You're just jealous because you can't fly."

Lily went red. Everyone knew she couldn't fly. She'd crashed into a tree in the first lesson and they were only supposed to have been learning how to hover. "I'd rather not if your huge ego is going to be polluting the skies," she snapped and stormed off with Severus. Her friends glared at him and walked away too. "What is her problem?" asked James angrily. Remus replied, "Maybe you should stop hexing her best friend. You wouldn't like it if someone hexed one of us would you?" "The day I stop hexing Slytherins is the day the giant squid gets squished," declared James. "I'm with you mate," said Sirius just as fervently. Remus gave up. He knew he should fight back but he didn't. They meant a lot to him and he wasn't losing his friends by defending Slytherins.

"**I can't blame Lily for hating him, he's rude and mean and arrogant and really big-headed," said James. "Yeah, and you're such a saint," laughed Albus, "okay maybe you're not as bad as he was." "Why'd he hate you so much?" asked James looking at Snape's portrait. "He was jealous," said Snape. "Of what?" asked both boys together. Snape was debating how best to get out of this situation without telling them.**

**This time Dumbledore saved the day.**

"**Minerva, are you going to be telling them only all of James' bad qualities?" he asked. "Yeah," said James. "If she fell in love with him later, there must've been something she liked about him." Albus frowned at the change of subject. Snape had that very familiar look again. "I'm coming to it right now," said McGonagall.**

Like I said before, the Marauders were also very kind. They were exceptionally close. They treated each other like brothers. They didn't bat an eyelid when they found out all about Sirius' family. Sirius wouldn't have willingly told them about his family. It happened all because of an innocent remark by Peter.

"Hey Sirius," he said one day at breakfast, "how come I've never seen you get more than a couple of letters every year from home?" Sirius' face darkened, "I don't ask _you_ about the scarcity of words in _your_ letters so don't ask me about the scarcity of my letters," he snapped. He got up and walked away to the staircase. "What's up with him? Why's he acting so weird?" asked James looking concerned. "It's obvious isn't it?" asked Lily. She had been sitting across the table. "His entire family is in Slytherin but he's a Gryffindor. They must hate him as much as you do them.""Oh no! And I asked such a dumb question!" squeaked Peter, getting up. "Let's go, he's probably in the dormitory," said Remus.

The three boys ran up to find the door to their dorm locked. "Sirius? Sirius, let us in!" yelled James banging on the door.

"Go away!" came Sirius' voice.

"I've got this," said Remus, "Alohomora." The door opened and they found Sirius sitting on his bed, head in his hands.

"Sirius, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings-" started Peter. "It's okay Peter. You didn't know. None of you did. Now hurry up and disown me. I haven't got all day," said Sirius. He sounded absolutely defeated. "What are you talking about?" demanded James, "why would we disown you?"

"My family is the biggest bunch of orthodox purebloods you'll ever see! You may be purebloods too but they'll hate you for associating with muggleborns and muggles. They'll hate you for being Gryffindors. They already hate me for it. And you'll hate me for being a part of that family and hating them. You guys love your families! So go ahead, tell me you hate me," said Sirius.

"Sirius you prat, you're not making any sense. Why would _we _hate you for _not _being like your family? Maybe I'm not their biggest fan, but you're nothing like them. You're in Gryffindor for a reason! You told me on the train that your whole family was in Slytherin. I didn't turn my nose up at you then and I won't do it now! What does it matter who your parents or your siblings are? It may matter to you family but it doesn't matter to any of us or to you. You're not part of the family by anything but blood," said James.

"Yeah, Sirius, James is right. We don't care if people hate you because of the company you keep or who your relatives are. We like you because of who _you_ are – the shaggy, black-haired boy who loves to have fun. And the number of pranks you've played on the Slytherins proves that you're not like them at all!" said Remus.

"You're not part of them Sirius. _We're _your real family. Aren't we like brothers already?" asked Peter.

Sirius watched them carefully, taking in the sincerity on each face. Then, his face broke into a huge grin as he leapt up from the bed and hugged all of them together.

"Ouch! Sirius that was my head!

"Good to have you back to normal…or as normal as you get…"

"Can't…breathe…" said James. Sirius immediately released them. "Sorry mate," he said grinning widely, "but thanks. All of you. And I'm sorry I snapped at you Pete."

"Well before we get detention again, we'd better head to class. We're going to be late," said Remus. The four boys grinned, picked up their bags and walked out. They were the Marauders. They were inseparable.

**Albus suddenly snorted with laughter. "What?" asked McGonagall, looking annoyed. "That last part was a little melodramatic, sorry. It was like one of those movies where the heroes all walk out together looking cool," he replied. "That's how it really was though," said Dumbledore. "Especially with James and Sirius. Some of the younger students even thought they really were brothers." "They didn't even abandon Remus when they found out he was a werewolf. Most people would get away from him immediately even if they'd known him for ages. But the Marauders didn't care what he was. They didn't find that out by accident though," said McGonagall continuing with the story.**

It was nearing the full moon. Remus was gathering his clothes. He'd have to think of some excuse again. His friends were clever. He knew he couldn't fool them easily. Just then, they walked in.

"Where are you going Remus?" asked James

"Oh, my mother-" began Remus but Sirius cut him off. "How is it your mother is always ill around this time of the month?" he asked.

"And why have you never told us what's wrong with her?" asked Peter.

Sirius was watching Remus. They had found out the truth and it was time to confirm it. "You always go home around full moon, you're scratched and injured when you come back. It's not your mother who's ill is it? It's you. You're a werewolf."

"So now you know. Go ahead, run away screaming like all the others," said Remus. He looked scared, angry and defiant all at the same time.

"Remus, you're being as much of a drama queen as Sirius. We won't leave you just because you're a werewolf. You're one of the nicest guys I've ever met," said James.

"But I'm a monster," Remus protested.

"That's only once a month. And you can't help it Remus, it's not your fault," said Peter.

"Yeah, mate. It's not like you wanted it to happen. There are just some things you can't control. Besides, I think it's kind of cool," said Sirius.

"So you're not going to just…abandon me? You don't have to be with me if you're scared or you don't want to. I'm serious," said Remus.

"Hey, we knew you before you told us about this and you're harmless. Only people who don't know you will be scared and prejudiced. And you're not Sirius, _he _is," said James smiling.

"I know, no one can ever be _me_," said Sirius. For a second, Remus looked confused. Then he saw the joke. "Sirius that pun got old last year," he said and smiled, "I'm glad you're my friends." "Now stop dawdling and hurry up. Let's get you ready for this," said James.

Two days later –

Remus opened his eyes and blinked as three worried faces came into view. "Good morning," said James.

"How do you feel?" asked Peter. "How do you think?" Remus sighed. He was always a little irritable after the transformation. He sat up.

"You told Madam Pomfrey you knew?"

"Yeah, that's why she let us in. She kept muttering something about you being lucky to have such good friends," said Sirius.

Remus smiled gratefully. "We were thinking," said James tentatively, "we wanted to keep you company during your transformation."

"You can't do that! I could seriously injure or even kill you!" said Remus.

"Only if we're human."

"What are you then, part vampire or something?"

"What James is beating around the bush for and trying to say is that we could become Animagi. Illegally of course," said Sirius. Remus looked at them and laughed. "You can't be serious. Have you any idea how complicated and long the process is? Not to mention dangerous. Even if you succeed, I might still lose control and attack."

"Not if we become big enough animals. Come one Remus, we need your brains more than ever this time," said James.

Sirius was giving him the puppy dog eyes and even Peter looked pleading. Remus sighed. He didn't want them to get into trouble or danger. But he knew the transformation would be a lot easier if he had his friends with him. He looked at them and a great rush of affection welled up inside him. "Okay," he said, "I must be out of my mind, but I'll help. You'd have done it anyway."

"YES!" all three of them shouted. Even Remus smiled. He had always thought he'd be the lonely boy that no one would talk to in school. But here he was, a part of the most notorious group in school, with friends who didn't care what he was, with friends who only cared _who_ he was and were actually prepared to break the _law_ just to help him. Madam Pomfrey was right. He was very lucky indeed.

"**So James was really considerate," said Albus. "Why didn't he just show Lily this side of him instead of that show-off act he put on? He's as thick as you James." James smiled, "Maybe that's why I was named after him. I can't believe dad never told us all about their trying to become Animagi! Why didn't he tell us?"**

**Dumbledore replied, "Your father thinks you're too young. He forgets that you are as old as he was when Voldemort returned. He'll realize you're growing up eventually."**

"**Minerva," said Snape slowly, "How do you know what Remus Lupin was feeling? And if you were stalking them, were you stalking me too?" She grinned, "You're not the only Legilimens in this school. And your thoughts are going to be revealed next."**

**Snape went pale, "Hogwarts should seriously work on a Privacy Policy," he muttered.**

**Dumbledore chuckled. He hadn't seen Minerva McGonagall having so much fun in a long time. The boys waited eagerly for the rest of the story. It seemed like things were about to get interesting. **

_Did you like it? Review and let me know!_

_Oh and for all the fantasy/magic/mythlogy readers out there, you might want to try the series called "The secrets of the immortal nicholas flamel." I just finished the first book and I loved it!  
_


	5. Chapter 5

_Hey! Well, this is not really one of my best chapters but I made some progress with the LilyXJames thing so hope you'll like it!_

_There's a scene from Deathly Hallows in this chapter. It doesn't really fit in terms of timeline becasue they're supposed to be atleast fifteen but they're only 13 in this chapter but it just seemed to fit perfectly so I put it in here...I didn't have my book with me when I wrote this so it's not word for word the way it is in the book, it's as much as I could remember..._

_As usual the interruptions are in **bold letters**..._

_And of course, thanks for the reviews. A special thanks to _Lizzie09_ for reviewing every chapter so far! And thanks to _Gunther123 _for the tip!_

_Hope to get a lot more reviews for this chapter!_

_Disclaimer : I don't own Harry Potter._

_

* * *

_Remus entered the library one evening and got the shock of his life. "Whoa, are you guys actually _reading?_" he asked looking at his three friends surprised. James grinned and held up the book so Remus could read the title, "Becoming Animagi – Procedure and Precautions?" He sighed, "Well at least you're reading about the precautions too. When you said you wanted to become Animagi, I didn't think you meant right away."

"No time like the present," said Sirius, "besides we would have studied this next year and with James' Transfiguration skills, I think we can work it out."

"And this book says that the longer we visualize ourselves as the kind of animals we want to become, the easier it will be. So we thought we'd get an early start," added Peter.

"_Did_ you think about what kind of animal you want to turn into?" asked Remus.

"Yeah, Sirius wants to be a dog. He even gave himself a nickname – Padfoot," said James.

"Well I guess that makes sense. He is named after the Dog Star and he makes amazing puppy dog eyes. Not to mention he eats like a dog," said Remus.

"Ha, admit it Moony, I'm actually very loving and lovable just like a dog!" said Sirius.

"Who on earth is Moony? And you're not lovable," said Remus.

"Yes I am! And you're Moony. You always get moody around full moon and it's because of the moon so you're Moony."

"It's not a bad name actually," said James. "I wanted to be a stag – proud and tall and majestic and I'll be big enough to help you."

"You know those things on a fork? They always remind me of antlers," said Sirius.

"You mean prongs?"

"Yeah! Exactly! Your nickname is Prongs."

"No way! I'm not being named after a fork."

"Come on, it sounds cool."

"He does have a point," said Remus.

"Okay," James conceded, "if you think so. We thought of a small animal for Peter since he's not all that great magic and there's some fancy spell work involved."

"I thought of a rat. You said Madam Pomfrey freezes some knot on the Whomping Willow's trunk so I could reach that easily and if anything goes wrong, I can always escape and get help quickly," said Peter.

"That sounds like a plan. Sirius, you're on a roll today. Think of a cool name for Peter," said Remus.

"Hmm…rats have long tails which is about their only special feature and they're kind of wriggly so…Wormtail!"

"Yeah!" said James. "Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs, the unstoppable Marauders of Hogwarts!" They cheered and immediately got kicked out by Madam Pince who had been glaring at them for quite while. But from that day, the Marauders were more than friends. They were brothers.

The rest of second year passed without any fatal or long lasting injuries. Those started only after Lily started hexing James. But as they moved into third year, James finally realized how much he liked Lily Evans.

It was the start-of-term feast that started everything. The Marauders always started the year with an amazing prank.

Dumbledore was giving his speech when a high voice squeaked, "Can't you see we're hungry?" Everyone looked around to see who said that. Dumbledore's plate leapt up," They're starving and you're talking about banned Dungbombs. Have some mercy!" It had a truly comical face. One by one, the other plates started rising and talking and the spoons and forks were dancing and a dish actually ran away with a spoon squealing, "We're getting married!" Everyone was clutching their sides and laughing so hard. When the dishes and spoons started dancing, the students could only laugh harder. Finally the noise died down and the cutlery settled back down as the Marauders stood up and bowed, "A little entertainment to take your minds off those growling stomachs," said Sirius.

**Snape snorted, "**_**His **_**stomach was one of the loudest in the hall."**

**Dumbledore chuckled, "Needless to say, I've saved all my speeches for after the feast since then."**

The feast was as amazing as usual. When the students were heading upstairs, Lily walked up to the Marauders.

"Okay, whose idea was the prank?" she asked.

The three boys immediately pointed at James.

"What?" he spluttered, "Listen, I didn't –"

"Relax Potter," said Lily, "I just wanted to say that really was funny and I'm glad it didn't involve hurting anybody unlike last year's prank. I really enjoyed it."

"I helped too!" said Peter suddenly. Everyone looked at him. He blushed deeply, especially when Lily looked at him.

"Well – I mean – she's not yelling at us, so…"

"Yeah!" said Sirius, "We all helped. So feel free to give us a medal of honour Evans."

Lily shook her head exasperatedly, "I'm not giving you an award Black. I just wanted to say it was a nice prank. And the idea was great," she said. She smiled at James and walked up the stairs.

James was watching her with a slightly dazed expression. His stomach was churning. He walked back to the dorm somewhat dreamily. For some reason, he kept seeing Lily's smile and hearing her praise.

"What's wrong with him?" asked Remus.

Sirius shrugged. "Maybe he ate too much."

"Lily Evans…Lily _Evans_…Li-ly Evans…" James was muttering. Sirius hit him on the head. "Lily- ow! What was that for?" James demanded.

"Why on earth are you muttering 'Lily Evans' over and over again?" Sirius asked.

"Isn't it wonderful how her name sounds? And her smile, I can't get it out of my head," replied James.

"Finally! You just realized you love her!"

"What? No I do not _love_ her. I think someone's slipped me some really weak love potion at dinner today."

"Prongsie's in looove, Prongsie's in looove," sang Sirius.

Remus whacked him on the head, "Stop it Sirius."

"It's just a weak potion I'm sure. It'll pass," insisted James. "Li-ly Evans. No that's not right. Lily Evans…" Sirius rolled his eyes but said nothing. None of them noticed the look of disappointment that crossed Peter's face when he recognized the look of longing on James' face to be more than the effects of a love potion.

James really felt that someone had slipped him a love potion. But for weeks later, he found himself sneaking glances at Lily every now and then. He was so disturbed by this that he even researched the after effects of love potions and confirmed that he wasn't under any magical influence. He would catch himself admiring the way she moved or the way her hair fell around her face or her smile or her deep, beautiful green eyes. One day, she caught him at it.

"Potter stop staring at me like that!" she said. James quickly looked away. Ten minutes later, Alice leaned across the table.

"He's doing it again," she whispered.

"I don't know what's wrong with him, he's been staring at me a lot lately!" said Lily.

"I think he likes you," said Alison.

Lily stared at her and burst into laughter. "You really think James Potter – arrogant toe rag, school bully, Mr. I'm-so-popular and annoying-prat-who-hexes-people-for-the-heck-of-it would like a redhead with top grades and respect for the rules? If you're right Alison, I'm going to spike Professor Slughorn's crystallized pineapple with a Babbling Beverage."

"Oh I'm going to remember that," said Alison with an evil smile. "What do you think Mary? Five galleons he asks her out be Christmas?"

"No way, he doesn't even look like he's realized he likes her yet. He'll take at least till Valentine's Day," replied Mary.

Alice laughed as Lily exclaimed indignantly, "Oi, I'm not an object to bet on! And it'll never happen anyway."

"I'll bet on that," said Alice. Lily rolled her eyes. Sometimes she felt like she was the only sensible person in Hogwarts. Alison looked up, "Lily, the creep wants you to go over."

"Don't call him that Alison, he doesn't call you a creep," said Lily looking up to find Snape beckoning her to come out of the Hall.

"No, but he calls people like me and you _much_ worse names," retorted Alison.

"No, he doesn't. He 's not like his friends."

"Yes he is. Didn't you hear what they do? They use Dark Magic!"

"Look, he's my friend and I'm not asking you to put up with him. Just put up with me," snapped Lily before hurrying off after Snape.

Severus Snape was pacing around the Entrance Hall. Lily had been arguing with her friends and she hadn't come out yet. She'd know where to find him. He moved towards another corridor. He'd been noticing how often James Potter had been looking at her. He hadn't liked it. Lily Evans' friendship was one thing he had that Potter didn't and it was precious. He nearly jumped out of his skin when a voice behind him said, "Couldn't have waited for me, could you?" He turned around to see her-Lily Evans beautiful as ever, surveying him critically…

"**Um, Professor Snape? Are you okay? You look kind of pale," said Albus. **

"**Are you feeling sick? Can portraits throw up paint or something?" asked James.**

**Snape merely shook his head. Albus suddenly thought back to the familiar look he'd seen on the portrait's face. He realized he'd seen it on his **_**brother**_**. McGonagall smiled, "He's just worried Albus is going to figure out his story. It's just getting interesting after all…"**

Lily had left the Great Hall to find Severus nowhere in sight. She knew where he'd be and jogged off down a corridor. Things had changed between them. Two years ago, neither of them would have thought twice about going over to the others' table but now, inter-house rivalry was growing. And of course, Potter had the habit of hexing Severus whenever he came within five meters of him. Lily always stood up for her friends but she also knew that Alison was right. Severus did hang around with people like Avery and Mulciber who delighted in hurting others. They were morbidly interested in the Dark Arts. Lily had grown up unaware of all the prejudice she would face at Hogwarts, but she hadn't been bothered by it. Her morals told her that what the Slytherins were doing was wrong but unfortunately, her best friend seemed to be straying down that path too.

She finally caught up with Severus and surprised him, "Couldn't have waited for me could you?"

"Lily why do you enjoy scaring me like that? And why are you looking at me so…critically?" he asked.

"It's nothing, I was just thinking about the days before inter house rivalry mattered." She leaned against a pillar. It had started to rain outside.

"I think about that a lot too," said Severus quietly.

"But it's not enough though is it?"

"What do you mean?" he asked walking towards the courtyard.

"I mean we never talk as much as we used to and when we do, it's always in places where no one else can see us. Why? Are you so ashamed of being in the company of a Gryffindor? Or is it just because of who _I_ am?"

"No-it's just- my friends-"

"Your friends are evil Sev. Why do you hang out with them? Especially Avery and Mulciber."

"I thought we were supposed to be friends? Best friends?" asked Severus.

"We are, but Mulciber Sev? He's creepy. I don't know what you see in him. D'you know what he tried to do to Mary Macdonald the other day?"

"That was nothing-it was just a laugh-"

"It was Dark Magic and you know it."

"What about what Potter and his mates get up to? And there's something weird about that Lupin."

"He's ill. They say he's ill."

"Every night at the full moon?" said Snape.

"I know your theory. What does it matter? What's Potter got to do with this anyway?"

"The whole school thinks he's some sort of hero. You won't think - I won't let you-"

"Let me? _Let _me?" asked Lily, eyebrows raised.

"No! I only meant – he fancies you – James Potter fancies you! Everyone thinks- big Quidditch hero-" Snape was becoming more incoherent and Lily's eyebrows were travelling further up her forehead, "I know Potter's an arrogant toe rag Sev," she said, "but Mulciber's idea of a laugh is just plain evil."

Severus hadn't heard a word after "arrogant toe rag". His delight must have showed on his face because Lily said goodbye a few moments later.

"**Why were you so delighted with that?" James asked the portrait of Snape.**

"**She was important," said Snape shortly. He had that look again. This time, Al recognized it.**

"**Rosalie!" he shouted.**

"**Yes!" said McGonagall while James looked around wildly, trying to flatten the unruly hair both boys had inherited, "What? Where?"**

"**No, it's the same look you have on your face when you look at Rosalie or think about her. I can't believe I took so long to figure this out. I see that look almost every hour of the day," said Albus. He continued, "But then that must mean…OMG, you had a crush on Lily? On our Grandma?"**

"**Merlin Al! I can't believe you just said OMG. That's a girly thing," said James.**

"**It is not!"**

"**Yes it is. It's what girls say whenever they talk."**

"**It is **_**not**_** girly! It's just an abbreviation. And would you focus on the shocking new truth?"**

"**Oh, right. So that's why you've been avoiding the subject. You had a crush on her…wow that is so weird," said James.**

**Snape sighed. "I didn't have a crush on her. I loved her. It's why I never got married. There was never anyone else. You think of how you'd feel if Rosalie completely gave up on you. And yes, I thought the truth would freak you out. It was my fault that our friendship was ruined. Heck it was my fault she **_**died**_**. And Minerva, stop looking as though Christmas has come early."**

"**Um Severus? Look out the window. It is Christmas!" said McGonagall.**

"**Not for a few more days it isn't," protested Snape. **

"**Yes! Finally there's some embarrassing moments of you out in the open. It was always me getting embarrassed. I was the only one who tried to stop the Marauders' pranks and the Weasley twins and invariably ended up in the middle of them," she snapped.**

"**Well they still loved you **_**Aunt Minnie**_**," said Snape.**

**Now, McGonagall went pale. She actually looked murderous. "That letter was in the pile?" she asked dangerously.**

**Snape looked slightly scared but couldn't keep the grin off his face. "Yes," he replied. "You know, Lily once told me about this mouse called Minnie and it struck me as really funny that you are a cat Animagus and your nickname was Aunt Minnie."**

**The boys looked at Dumbledore. "Do they always act this weird around Christmas?" asked Al.**

"**Oh no, not always. They're worse during Halloween. But only within the confines of this office though. Once Minerva had called a little first year boy up here. Nearly scared him out of his wits when he heard them arguing," Dumbledore replied as the boys laughed. The two teachers were calling each other really funny names now.**

"**Mad witch."**

"**Grease-boy"**

"**Hairpin-loving freak"**

"**Mr. I'm-scared-of-shampoo"**

**Dumbledore sighed, "I guess I was Headmaster for a reason." He raised his voice. "Children! Stop fighting before I put both of you in detention!"**

**McGonagall and Snape immediately stopped and looked at him incredulously while the boys howled with laughter.**

"**Children?" asked both teachers simultaneously.**

"**Well Severus, I was Headmaster when you were at Hogwarts and Minerva, I am at least fifty years older than you."**

**Both teachers coughed and looked away.**

"**Yes, well," said McGonagall, "now that we have that out of the way, let's continue. Things got more interesting now, not just between Lily and James but between their friends too…"**

**

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_Did you like it? Let me know with a review!  
_


	6. Chapter 6

_Hey! Glad you all liked my last chapter! Thanks for the reviews and story alerts!_

_As usual, the story is in McGonagall's perspective and the interruptions are in **bold letters.** _

_Really hope you all like this chapter! Please review and let me know if you have any suggestions._

_Disclaimer: I definitely do not own Harry Potter...

* * *

_One evening, Dumbledore made an exciting announcement, "This year, we are planning to have a Halloween party. It's not a dance so you don't have to bring along a partner and it's open to students of all ages. You do have to put on a costume befitting the occasion. You will also have a treasure hunt to find all sorts of treats but remember that there will be plenty of tricks too. The older students who feel that this might be a little childish are welcome to help with the organization. I hope you will all enjoy it! Good night."

The hall broke into excited chatter immediately. All the students were debating on what to wear. At the Gryffindor table, the Marauders were (predictably) thinking about their next amazing prank.

"He did say 'plenty of tricks.' It's like an invitation for us," said Sirius excitedly.

"We really should do something special. Any ideas?" asked Remus.

"How about pumpkin men?" asked Peter.

"No, that's too commonplace. We need to go all out for this one," said James.

Remus laughed, "That's what you always say."

"Let's think of something in class, we have History of Magic now anyway," said Sirius.

"**Typical Sirius. Spending History of Magic thinking about pranks," said Albus.**

"**Al, you're the only one who even concentrates in that class," said James.**

"**It's actually quite interesting. If you read-" began Al, but James cut him off, "You'd better continue Professor, when he starts singing the numerous praises of studying, he **_**never**_** stops." McGonagall smiled and continued.**

Soon enough, it was the night of the Halloween party. Lily was going as Little Red Riding Hood. She'd found the idea amusing because of her red hair.

"Seriously Lils, you might as well have gone as a fire genine or whatever you called those trucks," said Alice as Lily fixed her cape.

"I like it. It's supposed to be funny too Alice. And they're called fire _engines_," replied Lily.

"I think it's funny too Alice. Besides you're just wearing a dress," said Mary.

"Hey, I'm supposed to be Alice from that book Lily gave me – Alice in Wonderland. I like your costume though Mary, it's nice and Halloweeny. Trying to impress someone?"

Mary was wearing a typical Goth costume and looking dangerously pretty in it. She blushed, "I'm not trying to impress anyone. I'm just trying to stick to the theme."

"Uh-huh. And the theme happens to be called "Impress Remus Lupin" does it?" teased Alison walking out of the bathroom.

Lily whistled softly, "Speaking of impressing people, wait till Black sees what you're wearing. That'll get his attention all right."

Alison was wearing a classic genie costume – floaty Arabic pants and a sequined top, complete with pointed shoes and a lamp hanging from her belt. Even though she was only thirteen, she was looking older and gorgeous. "Well unlike Mary, I'm not trying to impress Black," she said.

"Did you two fight again? You call him Black only after a fight. What sort of friends are you two supposed to be? You fight every ten minutes," said Lily.

"You're one to talk. You and James fight every ten seconds."

"Well he's not my friend. I think we should get going. We don't want to be late for the treasure hunt now, do we?"

At the same time, a very similar conversation was going on in the boys' dormitories. Remus was going to the party as a werewolf. He'd found the idea ironic and amusing.

"Seriously Moony, you might as well have waited for next month. You could have gone as yourself," said Sirius as Remus grew more hair on his face using his wand.

"I like it," said Remus, "It's supposed to be funny."

"Except no one's going to get the joke," said Sirius. The other three boys were dressed as the three musketeers after Remus had told them the story.

"That's the fun part of it. It's irony," said Remus.

Peter shook his head," I don't get you at all sometimes Remus. Sometimes you're all moody and sullen because you're a werewolf and sometimes you find it funny."

"You have Lily Evans to thank for that. She helps me see the bright side of life even though she doesn't really know how much help she actually is," said Remus.

"Are you trying to make your hair lie flat? You don't even bother usually," said Sirius looking at James incredulously. Then a great look of realization came over his face. "You're trying to impress Evans!"

James blushed, "Well, I may have come to like her a little bit…"

Remus put an end to his discomfort, "Well we should leave. Let's not be late." They walked down to the Great Hall where they bumped into the girls – literally.

"Ow! Potter can't you see where you're going even with your glasses on?" demanded Lily as she was knocked to the ground.

"Sorry Evans, didn't see you there," said James offering her his hand. She took it and pulled herself up. James felt tingles run up his hand the minute hers touched his. He shook his head to distract himself and looked at Lily. His first thought was that she looked very pretty indeed. But the first thing he said was, "I don't know how I didn't notice you though, considering how _red_ you are today."

"I like my costume! It's better than yours anyway. What normal guy would wear tights and a cap with such a ridiculous feather?" retorted Lily.

"He's supposed to be a musketeer Lily. And I like your costume, it's amusing. Don't listen to James, he has no fashion sense whatsoever," said Remus.

"Why've you dressed as a werewolf? You could have been four musketeers," said Lily.

Sirius cut in, "He didn't want to be one of the 'Noiseketeers.' What are you supposed to be?"

"I'm Little Red Riding Hood, it's a muggle thing, ask Remus about it sometime. Alice is…Alice…from another muggle story called Alice in Wonderland. Mary's just a random Goth girl and Alison is a genie."

"Ooh…a genie…does that mean that if I steal that lamp hanging from your belt, you'll do my _every _wish and command?" asked Sirius grinning mischievously.

"Seriously, Sirius, you're only thirteen and you're this perverted. I shudder to think what you'll be like in four years," said Alison, looking repulsed.

"Well it was nice meeting you all, but we've got to go now," said James rushing everyone in before Alison and Sirius could start fighting.

Dumbledore gave them their instructions for the treasure hunt in the Great Hall. "Split into groups of four and start searching. Professor McGonagall is in the entrance hall waiting to give you your first clue. Each teacher will have a clue but to know where to go, you need to work out the clue already given to you. For each clue, you also get a treat of some sort. But be careful, because there are plenty of tricks too. You have one hour. Have fun!" Everyone hurried out talking excitedly. Soon, groups of four were running in all directions.

After about half an hour –

"That wasn't too hard was it? I expected something much more difficult," said Lily.

"Maybe Dumbledore thought the younger students would find it too tough," said Mary. Their last clue had directed them back to the Great Hall. When they entered, they were surprised to see so many students there already. More students were walking in right behind them. Everyone was looking confused.

"Hey, did anyone find the treasure?" Alice asked a fourth year Gryffindor named Frank Longbottom.

"No, we all cracked the clue and ended up here but all we found was this dance floor," he replied.

Lily and her friends looked around to find that they were indeed standing on a dance floor which had been difficult to see because all the students were standing on it.

Just then, Dumbledore entered with the teachers who looked rather disgruntled. Professor Flitwick was still in his ogre costume. "Well there seems to have been a real trick this Halloween. All the clues that we had written were replaced by the ones you have all received. So, I assume that whoever brought us here has a purpose in doing so," said Dumbledore. Lily whispered almost unconsciously, "Marauders."

Just then all the lights went out and the room was plunged into darkness. "I can't see a thing," said Alison somewhere from Lily's right.

"Neither can I," replied Lily and gasped suddenly. Someone had taken her hand and was leading her out onto the dance floor.

A voice boomed through the hall, she had never heard it before but it was obviously magically enhanced so she wouldn't have recognized it anyway, "Please do not panic. You are simply being led onto the dance floor by your partners for this evening," The teachers and Lily who had suspected the Marauders to be behind this prank were confused. The Marauders were pranksters not matchmakers. Lily thought the guy holding her hand was rather thin. His fingers were feeling quite…bony. Suddenly music started to play. After about ten minutes of dancing, the lights were turned back on.

Everyone looked at their partners and screamed.

The skeletons they'd been dancing with screamed back and their skulls fell off causing the students' screams to turn into loud laughter.

The skeletons picked up their skulls and ran up to the teachers table where they started dancing. Some of them formed a band using skulls and bones as drums and guitars. They tap-danced really well. One of them swung an arm a little too enthusiastically and knocked off his neighbor's skull which rolled away under the table. So, the offending skeleton grabbed one of the Halloween pumpkins and stuck it on it's neighbor's neck while the skull-less skeleton was feeling about for its skull and couldn't find it on its head. The students were screaming with laughter now. The one that had tried fixing the pumpkin on the other's head had somehow got its hand stuck in the pumpkin and was frantically trying to pull it out with a very comical, bemused expression on its face.

The students were wiping away tears of laughter by now. The other skeletons were playing volleyball with a skull and others were starting a mime show. Some of them were doing the robot dance really well. What should have been a scary sight was completely hilarious. Even the teachers were smiling and the Slytherins were laughing. Finally all the skeletons stood in a row (one still had a pumpkin head) took a deep bow and disappeared in a plume of smoke. From the smoke, predictably, emerged the four Marauders.

"We'd like to take credit for this prank," said James.

"Even though we'll probably end up with detention for the rest of the year," added Sirius.

"But even though this was a prank, there was a moral behind it. Halloween is supposed to be scary. But learning how to laugh at your fears is a valuable lesson to learn. That's what we hoped to accomplish today," said Remus.

The whole Hall broke into tumultuous applause. Dumbledore smiled and stood up, "For giving us one of the best pranks Hogwarts has ever seen and for that admirable motive behind it, you will not be punished," he said. The Marauders cheered and mingled with the crowd as people congratulated them.

James walked around with the others hearing people complimenting them and seeing them smile at him. All the students were reliving the prank and laughing their heads off. But, above all the noise, one voice floated back to him more clearly, as though his ears were tuned to pick up that voice alone. He heard the voice say, "-and then it got stuck in that pumpkin!" Peals of uncontrolled, clear laughter was all he heard and he found it to be the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard.

Lily's laughter.

He realized only now how good their prank must have been if Lily was laughing about it. But, he also had a greater, much more important realization.

He liked her.

He fancied Lily Evans.

He finally realized that he had a massive crush on Lily and he didn't just want it to fade away. He knew in that instant that he wanted to be with her forever and make her laugh and keep her happy all the time. Even if he had to make a fool of himself to make her laugh, he would do it. He was only thirteen, but he _knew_, just knew somehow that he had deep feelings for her.

Her laughter cut the air again, filling his ears.

But then he looked at her and disappointment shot through him.

She was laughing at something Severus Snape had said.

The disappointment was quickly replaced by anger and jealousy. _Nobody _else should be allowed to look at Lily the way Snape was doing right then except himself, James Potter. She was supposed to be _his._

He strode up to them, only half-aware of Sirius excitedly following him once he saw where he was headed. He only just knew that Remus had seen the odd look on his face and was following concernedly. He barely registered Peter tagging along, round face shining with anticipation.

James stepped in front of the girls and Snape, "Well, well Snivellus, looks like the ugliest costume award goes to you this year."

"Shut up Potter. At least Dracula was a real guy unlike your hero who wore tights," retorted Snape.

"But your costume really suits you Snivellus. You look so much like a bat already. I'm sure with a flourish of your cloak, you could just turn into a bat and fly away," replied James.

"Leave him alone Potter," said Lily dangerously.

"No. You know what Evans? I think I can make his costume look better," said James pulling out his wand. Before either Snape or Lily could react, there was a flash of light and Snape ended up looking like a clown. The Hall burst into laughter.

"How dare you?" demanded Lily, pointing her own wand at James. Before he knew it, his teeth were growing past his chin. "Oh, she got you with a nice one mate," said Sirius.

Lily wasn't done yet, "I thought you might have changed Potter! I really enjoyed your prank today but you just _had_ to go and ruin everything. Why can't you just leave me and my friends alone?" She stormed out of the room.

"**Ok, that was totally unnecessary. Doesn't James realize that the more he hexes people, the less he impresses Lily?" asked Albus. **

**James answered, "You've never had a crush on anyone, much less been in love. You wouldn't understand the feeling that runs through you when someone is –even unintentionally- flirting with the girl you like. It's…intoxicating, exciting, a feeling of recklessness and righteous anger. It's like a huge adrenaline rush."**

"**Well your brother pretty much explained it. James just couldn't resist it," said McGonagall. **

"**Did he know that you liked Lily?" Al asked Snape.**

"**He had a hunch but he never knew for sure. He was just jealous that Lily actually talked to me and only shouted at him," replied Snape.**

"**So what happened after that?" asked James.**

"**Well to cut a long story short, James ended up in the hospital wing and I fixed Severus' costume. After the party however, James hexed Severus more than ever and tried incessantly to get Lily's attention. But the next big thing was Christmas – **

James was lying on his bed when Sirius came in. "Hey Prongs. Why the long face?"

"I want to ask Lily out," said James.

Sirius rolled his eyes, "_Now_ he wants to ask her out. Didn't you realize you like her two months ago?"

"Yes, but every time we interact, she's always yelling at me. Heck, I can't even remember the last time we just talked. What if she says no?"

"Come on James. She's just doing that because when wants your attention. You're James Potter, one of the coolest guys in school. If you can't impress her, no one can. So go on and ask her out!"

"Yeah, you're right Padfoot. I can do this," said James, looking a lot more confident as he ran down the stairs.

The next day was the day before Christmas vacation. James walked up to Lily. She spared him with a bored glance, "What do you want Potter?"

"Will you go out with me Evans?" he asked confident that she wouldn't refuse.

The reactions were amazing to watch, especially from the vantage point of the teachers' table.

Some fifth-years sitting around them snorted with laughter. Lily had hexed him too many times, there was no way she'd accept.

Remus looked at James like he'd gone crazy.

Peter simply looked surprised and a little resentful.

Snape's mouth was hanging open as he dropped his spoon.

Sirius was giving him the thumbs-up.

Mary's jaw dropped and Alison and Alice exchanged looks of disbelief.

Lily looked like someone had told her she'd failed Potions. "I'm sorry what? I'm sure I didn't hear you right. You want me to go out with you?" she asked.

"Well yeah. I fancy you. I gave this a lot of thought and figured just before the holidays would be the best time to ask you since everyone would go home and we'd have some privacy. Of course, I understand that I'm a really cool guy and you might be intimidated about the prospect –"

"Intimidated?" demanded Lily loudly, "No, I'm astounded that you are so arrogant! You thought I'd say yes just because it's _you_? No way am I going out with you!"

"You're-you're saying no? But why?" asked James. He looked taken aback.

Lily started one of her famous rants. "Why? Where do I start? You hex me and my friends for no reason. You walk around this place like you own it. You think I'd want some privacy with you? I want privacy _from_ you. You are the most arrogant git I've ever met. You think you're so cool but you're just a jerk. You're a self-centered, egotistic prat. You have the audacity to assume that I will say yes to you when you ask me out after all your 'planning'. I could go on forever but I'd be late to class. But don't worry, I'll make sure to send you the entire list once I'm done writing it." She stalked out of the room and her friends quickly followed, giving James apologetic and sympathetic looks.

James just stood there looking stunned. Then he slowly turned to Sirius. "You told me she'd say yes," he said softly.

Remus snorted. "No wonder that went badly. You asked _Sirius_ for advice?" He ignored the indignant "HEY!" from Sirius and went on, "You need to _ask _her to go out with you, not _tell_ her."

"So if I ask her politely, she night say yes?" asked James perking up.

"Maybe," said Remus, "but she'll take some time, especially after that outburst."

"So I just have to try again!" said James looking more cheerful. He didn't realize that he'd be trying for the next four years to win Lily Evans' heart. But, he was already thinking about how to ask her next.

Meanwhile in the corridor-

"I cannot believe he just asked me out! And how could he just assume that I'd say yes?"

"Lily, we love you and all but we did just hear your tirade in the Great Hall once already you know," said Alice looking amused. Alison suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong?" asked Mary.

"It's before Christmas. He asked her out before Christmas. Ha! Mary and Alice, you owe me five galleons each," said Alison delightedly. Mary and Alice groaned but rummaged in their bags.

"I cannot believe you actually remembered that bet!" said Lily.

"Oh, that's not all I remember Lils," said Alison slyly, "I distinctly remember you saying that you'd spike Slughorn's pineapple with Babbling Beverage if I were right about James Potter fancying you."

Lily went pale. She remembered it too, "I hate you Alison Hayes."

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_Hope you enjoyed this! You've come this far down the page, please press the review button! :)_


	7. Chapter 7

_Hey everyone! I am so sorry about the late update! I've been really busy lately. I actually posted this chapter yesterday, but it didn't show up on the site when I checked it out today, so I'm re-posting it...I'll try to have the next chapter up by Sunday._

_Thanks for all the reviews! I hope to get many more for this chapter. I'm trying to put in more of the interruptions by James and Albus but this was a bit of a serious chapter so I couldn't do much. I'll try to put in more in the next chapter._

_As always, the story is in McGonagall's perspective and all the interruptions are in **bold letters.**_

_I hope you like this chapter!_

_Disclaimer : I definitely do not own Harry Potter..._

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Lily and James both went home the next day for Christmas. Lily carefully avoided James all morning. She had seen him look her way more than once, showing every sign of asking her out again. When she finally got into her parents' car, she let out a sigh of relief. Maybe she'd get some time to think about what had made James Potter ask her out.

When they got home, she looked up at her house with a grin. Magic was all very nice, but nothing could beat the feeling of being home. But the rush of affection evaporated the minute she stepped through the door. "Hey freak," said Petunia before running up the stairs.

"I don't have a disease you know! And unfortunately for you, my magic's not contagious," Lily yelled back. She sighed. Petunia was two years older and extremely jealous.

"Don't worry, love, she'll get used to it…hopefully," said her father, George Evans, coming in.

"When? It's been two years since I started at Hogwarts. When is she going to realize that this is just something she can't have? And I can't even hate her properly because she looks too much like you dad," said Lily.

"Well I'm hurt," said her mother, Jane Evans, as she came in too. "I thought_ I_ was your favourite parent," she said, her eyes twinkling.

"Mum, I'll never forgive you for giving me your red hair," said Lily, smiling.

"Ah, well, it _is_ Christmas and miracles are supposed to happen. Maybe your hair will turn black or maybe your sister will stop being jealous."

"Yeah, that'll happen," muttered Lily. But she couldn't help hoping her mother was right. Not about her hair though…black reminded her about a certain idiot and his best friend.

"**Okay, now we have **_**got**_** to get hold of dad during Easter and demand to know why we got the really lame, censored version of the story," said James while Albus nodded fervently.**

"**Well, to be fair, Harry didn't know much about his parents either," said McGonagall.**

"**But he never told us about Aunt Petunia being so mean. He hardly mentioned her at all. And she has nothing against magic now; she's visited us loads of times. She is a little stiff whenever any of us use magic but apart from that, she likes us. She especially likes Lily, although what she sees in that little devil of a sister I have, I'll never know," said Albus.**

"**You're one to talk. You've been her partner in crime enough times. And **_**I've **_**been the victim," muttered James darkly.**

"**Harry probably didn't want you to be prejudiced against your aunt," said Dumbledore.**

"_**And**_** she became a much better person than the sour faced stick I knew. When Lily started at Hogwarts, Petunia was jealous. But she still did love her sister and when Lily died, Petunia was angry and afraid. She was angrier however, because she had no magic. She felt that maybe she could have helped Lily if she could use magic. That's why she started really hating it, it drove them apart and finally killed the little sister she'd once loved so much," said Snape.**

**Everyone including the other portraits looked at him incredulously.**

"**What?" he demanded.**

"**Dad told us a lot about you, but he never mentioned that you were such a sentimental person," said James.**

"**Yeah Severus, even I didn't know that much about Petunia. How do you know so much about her feelings?" asked McGonagall.**

"**Lily was my best friend, remember? She used to rant about her sometimes. And…well…I used to…stalk Lily…every now and then and Petunia would be hanging around sometimes and her expressions aren't has hard to read as Lily's…" Snape trailed off, blushing hugely. **

**Everyone was still gaping at him.**

"**Well at least I didn't try to spy on her in the girls' dormitories like Potter. **_**He **_**used to stalk her too, but nooo, it's always Severus Snape who's the villain," he complained, pouting.**

**This time everyone laughed. "Don't worry Severus, we all love you," said Dumbledore chuckling.**

"**Ok, let's get on with the story," said McGonagall. She continued – **

Lily's Christmas continued to be quite uneventful and miracle-free. In contrast, James' was far more exciting.

"Alright Padfoot, let's try the spell. If it works, we're geniuses." Said James.

"I don't think this is such a good idea James," said Remus.

"Don't back out now Moony, we're about to become the youngest illegal Animagi. It'll work," said Sirius, "Hit me with your best shot, James."

James waved his wand, muttering the spell under his breath. Peter looked nervous and Remus had his fingers crossed. There was a flash of light and Sirius transformed…into a poodle.

Remus and Peter burst into hysterical laughter as James tried frantically to find the counter spell in between his bouts of laughter. Sirius yipped angrily and jumped at James, who only laughed harder, "Hey, whoa there, you cute, little fellow," he said catching Sirius and handing him to Remus.

"Merlin, he's cute," said Remus. Sirius barked angrily but it came out shrill and high-pitched. All three boys collapsed into laughter again. James pointed his wand at the poodle and read out the counter spell.

Sirius reappeared. He pointed a finger at James dramatically.

"You!" he said. He jumped on James and punched him.

"Ow! Get off Sirius, you're not as light as you were three seconds ago," said James still unable to stop laughing. "We should – ouch! – call – ow! – you Poodlefoot now! –Hey! – That's enough get off."

Sirius stood up reproachfully, "You guys are mean," he pouted, "next time, James can be the guinea pig."

"We should have taken a picture of him as a poodle and sent It to Alison," said Peter.

"Hey, that's a good idea Pete," said James raising his wand again.

"Noooo!" yelled Sirius tackling James.

"OW! Okay, okay we won't do it! Remus get this oaf off me!" yelled James.

Remus sighed. He wondered if Hogwarts would make it in one piece for another four years.

Their Animagus project continued despite the dangers. But, everyday, James couldn't stop thinking about Lily. He was sitting in his room watching his old miniature broomstick model fly around when Sirius entered quietly.

"Brooding about Lily again?" he asked.

"Has it been that obvious?" asked James.

"No, not really. Except to your parents of course, especially since you told them all about Lily over the holidays. And we're practically brothers, heck, we might even be related somewhere in the family tree. So, yeah, I can see when you think about her."

"It's just…why would she say no Padfoot?"

"Maybe she thinks you're arrogant."

"Thanks for stating the obvious," said James darkly.

"My point is," Sirius said, "like Moony said, you need to ask her out. But you need to do more. Lily's a girl, girls like guys to go all out for them and do something special. So try something new."

"You know what? That actually makes sense. Just wait till I see her again. I'm going to have the most exciting way to ask her out. And I'm not taking no for an answer even if I have to ask her a hundred times," said James determinedly.

On the opposite side of London, Lily Evans shuddered suddenly. She had a feeling going back to school after Christmas might not be such a great idea after all…

When they got back to Hogwarts, Lily was cautious. She expected James to jump at her. Over the holidays, she had constructed a few crazy theories of which the most likely was that his friends had Confunded him. She was hoping the spell would have worn off by now. Somehow, she managed to avoid him all day but when she walked into the common room that evening, she got the shock of her life.

"Okay, I'm all for house unity and stuff but this is taking a _way_ too far." Said Mary. The entire common room was _red_.

"There's no gold though. Oh, look, these are all red roses," said Alice.

"Which nut would cover the common room with a hundred red roses?" asked Lily, still blinking in shock.

"Actually, there're a million," said James from behind them.

"I had to ask," muttered Lily. She turned around to find James literally shoving a rose up her nose. His friends were a little way behind him. Sirius was looking eager, Remus was exasperated and Peter, slightly apprehensive.

James went on one knee and held out the rose, "Not even a million red roses can compare to the rich red of your fiery hair. Will you go out with me Evans?" he asked.

Alison gagged at the really lame speech. Alice and Mary were desperately trying (and failing) to keep straight faces. Lily blinked; "NO WAY!" she yelled and ran up to her dormitory. James looked disappointed. Sirius patted him on the back, "Better luck next time mate."

"So, your strategy is to just keep asking her out until she says yes?" asked Alice.

"Yeah. She's in denial. She'll come around once she sees how handsome I am," said James happily.

"Whatever makes you happy, Potter," said Alison. She and her friends went up to their dorm; they knew Lily would have another rant coming up.

Two weeks later, Lily sat in the library beside the window. Her friends were outside building snowmen. She had never liked the snow much; she was more of a summer person. She also had a strict "Work first, play later" policy.

"**Isn't she a little too perfect? Why did James like her anyway? He's the complete opposite," said Albus.**

"**He didn't like her for the first two years that much but then he just found himself attracted to her, especially when she appreciated something he did. At first, it was just one of those crushes that happen, but as he grew up, he started seeing qualities in her that made her all the more endearing to him," answered McGonagall.**

"**But he did go out with other girls," said James.**

"**He was a teenager. But he never had anything special with the other girls. You know what they say about the first crush being the hardest to forget," said Dumbledore.**

"**Yeah, you ought to know all about it, you avoided meeting Grindelwald for years," said Snape smirking.**

**Dumbledore blushed as the two boys stared at him, mouths hanging open.**

"**It was not sexual! IT was more of an intelligent connection," said Dumbledore.**

"**Right," said Snape, knowingly.**

**McGonagall cleared her throat, "Why don't we just continue with the story?"**

"You should be outside on a day like this," said a voice.

Lily looked up and smiled," So should you."

Remus sat down across her and looked out the window. He could see James, Sirius and Peter knocking down the snowmen Lily's friends were trying to build. "I'm not feeling too well again," he replied.

Lily's eyes went to the lunar chart she was using for her astronomy homework. She had checked Severus' theory and realized that he'd been right about Remus being a werewolf. But she'd not felt repulsed the way Severus had. She'd only felt sorry that a boy as nice as Remus could have such misfortune. "It'll pass. If we never felt ill, we would never feel thankful for our good health. We'd never be human," she said.

Remus smiled. Sometimes he felt she knew exactly what to say.

"Why is Potter asking me out?" she asked suddenly.

"Did you consider the idea that he might actually like you in any of your conspiracy theories?" Remus asked smiling.

"How did you know about my conspiracy theories?"

Remus raised an eyebrow and Lily blushed, "Ok, maybe my theories are a little famous. But he can't like me."

"Why not?"

"He's James Potter. I'm Lily Evans. We're polar opposites."

"Ever heard the phrase 'opposites attract'?"

"Remus, just look at him," said Lily, gesturing out the window. "His idea of having fun always ends in someone getting embarrassed or simply hexing random people in the corridors. He's a show-of and a jerk. There is nothing about him that I would find endearing, but unfortunately, the rest of the school disagrees. He's living in some fairytale world that has me as his princess. When will he realize that's not true and get his head back to reality?"

"He's thirteen Lily. And just as you only see what you want to about him, he sees only what he wants to see about you."

"There is no other side to him Remus."

Remus gave up, "Whatever makes you happy, Lily," he said, echoing Alison.

Both of them looked out of the window. James had his wand out and pointed at a very familiar bat-like figure.

"Oh, not again," said Lily, "Could you do me a favour and take my books back to the common room for me Remus? Thanks." She ran off towards the grounds.

Lily reached the grounds just as Snape got his 14th faceful of snow. His face was red from both embarrassment and cold.

"Leave him alone, Potter," Lily yelled.

James turned around, "Evans! You're just in time for the show."

"What did he even do to you?" she demanded.

"HE was snooping around."

"And you just hexed him? Besides Remus and I were both watching. You drew your wand when he wasn't even looking," she said angrily.

"He's been spying on us, probably to find out what our next prank is. He's pretty much been stalking Remus," said James.

Snape flushed as Lily looked at him. She knew exactly why he'd been following Remus. "That doesn't mean you need to hex him. Just go away and leave him alone," she snapped at James.

James shrugged, "I was getting bored anyway." He left with Sirius and Peter.

"You guys go on, I want a word with Sev," Lily said to her friends who nodded and went back to the castle.

"What is wrong with you?" she asked, rounding on Severus.

"He's a werewolf, you know that," he replied.

"So what? You think he'll suddenly morph into a bloodthirsty beast in the corridors? He's harmless."

"He's dangerous. And since when do you support the _Marauders?" _said Severus, speaking the last word like it was a profanity.

"I'm not supporting them. I'm standing up for Remus. I stand up for you because you're my friend. He's my friend too and I will not have you holding such prejudices against him. If you stopped hanging around Avery and Mulciber, you'd be much better off," Lily said angrily and walked away.

Severus watched her go with a wistful expression before trudging back up to the castle himself.

In the Entrance Hall, he was stopped by Sirius Black. He immediately slipped his hand into his pocket. But Sirius only laughed, "Don't worry Snivellus; I'm not trying to hex you. If you're so interested about us, why don't you go down to the Whomping Willow tonight? Full moon is when we brainstorm." He walked away.

Snape was torn. He knew that Sirius was probably trying to get him into trouble. But if the Marauders were there, Lupin would be there too and if he really was a werewolf, Snape could find out. Severus decided to take the chance. He just had to make sure he didn't forget his wand.

That night, Lily was standing by her window. It was nearly ten and the moon was high. She knew Remus would be led out soon by Madam Pomfrey. She tied a ribbon on a box of his favourite chocolates. She always sent him chocolate anonymously after she'd found out that it helped werewolves recuperate after their transformation. Right on time, two figures hurried out of the castle. They went up to the Willow and soon, Remus was in the tunnel and Madam Pomfrey was returning to the castle. Lily was about to turn away, when movement caught her eye. Someone was hurrying to the Willow. He turned and Lily saw his face. She gasped.

Severus Snape was going in after Remus.

At the same time that Lily was watching from her window, James, Sirius and Peter were waiting for Madam Pomfrey and Remus to appear too. James looked at Sirius, "What are you smiling about? You've been doing it all evening," he said to Sirius.

Sirius replied, still smiling, "I played an amusing prank on Snivellus today."

"Really what?" asked James interested.

"I told him that he could find out some very interesting things about us if he went down to the Willow tonight," said Sirius grinning. He stopped when he saw James and Peter's horrified expressions.

"But Remus will be there tonight," whispered Peter slowly.

James slammed Sirius against a wall, "You idiot. Why the _hell_ did you do that?"

"He'd get caught by Pomfrey and get into trouble," replied Sirius.

"You think he's idiotic enough to be _seen_ by Pomfrey? Have you lost your mind Sirius?" James demanded.

"James, Remus is going in," said Peter suddenly.

All three boys crowded at the window. Minutes later, Snape came running out.

"No," James whispered. He picked up his wand and ran out of the room before the others could stop him.

Lily watched the drama unfold from her dormitory. Seconds after Snape had run into the tunnel, she saw James Potter practically flying across the grounds after Severus. She hurried to the door. She had to tell Professor Dumbledore.

James knew he couldn't reach Snape before he got into the tunnel but he hoped to be able to make him come back before he reached Remus. He made it to the Whomping Willow without being seen in record time which was a miracle since he'd forgotten his Invisibility Cloak. He used magic to freeze the tree. He ran into the tunnel ignoring the roots that nearly made him fall. He could hear the growling and snarling already but he could also hear cautious footsteps. He sped up as noiselessly as possible. The last thing he wanted to do was attract a werewolf's attention in a narrow tunnel.

He caught sight of Snape and whispered, "Silencio." He grabbed Snape's arm from behind and pulled him away. Snape pulled his wand out and pointed it at him. James shook his head and put his own wand back in his pocket hoping Snape would understand that it was a peaceful gesture and not an invitation to hex him. Just then, the werewolf stiffened. James pulled Snape with him before he could see them. They made it far enough away for the werewolf to resume smashing the furniture but Snape turned. He caught a glimpse of the creature in the shack and James knew that Snape knew exactly who it was.

They made it out to find Dumbledore waiting for them. He looked relieved to see them safe. He indicated for them to follow him. Once in his office, he asked them, "You're both unharmed?"

Both boys nodded. "What happened?" the old headmaster asked.

"Black tried to kill me Professor. He sent me there on purpose," said Snape immediately.

"I assume all three of you know about Remus' condition?" Dumbledore asked James.

"Yes, but Sirius was only hoping Snape would get caught by Madam Pomfrey," James replied.

"That's not true, they knew I was suspicious-"Snape started but Dumbledore raised his hand.

"Severus, if you were suspicious, you would not have been as foolish as to follow Remus tonight. You did it to find out someone's secret and then divulge it. I'm sure you wouldn't like your secrets in the open. Therefore, I want your word that you will not reveal to anyone the truth about Remus Lupin. I know how much you love Hogwarts and I will not allow you to take away the chance that Remus has of being a normal boy."

Snape's eyes were downcast, "Yes Professor," he replied.

"Good. If I hear so much as a rumour about this, I will know whom to punish. Sirius Black is not blameless either. I will be taking house points but if Remus glimpsed you tonight, his punishment for Sirius tomorrow will be much worse than any I could give," said Dumbledore grimly, dismissing them.

The next day, the three Marauders went down to the hospital wing to see Remus. Sirius looked nervous. Remus was awake. He glared at Sirius. No doubt Dumbledore had told him everything.

James tried to lighten the mood, "So, you've got those anonymous chocolates again Moony. I smell a secret admirer."

Remus glared at him. James shut up.

"Moony, please stop ignoring me," said Sirius, pleadingly.

Remus closed his eyes. "You know what I felt yesterday?" he said. "I wanted to go down the tunnel and attack. The only thing that stopped me was that somewhere, deep in my mind, I recognized James' scent. I knew he was a friend. For the past two years, because of your encouragement, I'd stopped thinking of myself as a monster. Yesterday, I nearly lost control." He looked at Sirius, "What kind of _friend_ builds up and then completely destroys someone's confidence?"

"Moony, I really didn't' mean to get you into this. Well, okay, if you'd hurt Snape, I would really not have cared, but I wouldn't have let your name be dragged into this. I honestly thought he'd get caught by Madam Pomfrey," said Sirius.

"You wouldn't have cared? I might not have stopped at just biting him, I could have killed him. And what if I'd hurt James too? But you wouldn't have cared would you, as long as the person you hate got hurt? Do you still think you're so different from the rest of your family, _Black_?" Remus replied coldly.

"Moony-Remus-please-"Sirius was hurt by Remus' words but he was begging.

"Do me a favour," said Remus, "and get lost."

James stood up looking grim. "Whenever you feel up to it Moony, send word for us," he said kindly. He took Sirius by the elbow and dragged him out with Peter. Sirius was in shock. More than anything else, he truly felt ashamed of himself.

Inside the hospital wing, alone, Remus let go of his restraint. Tears rolled down his cheeks. He'd probably lost the people most important to him. One single thought came to his head, "What have I done?"

Sirius was sitting by the lake, head in his hands. A single thought came to his head, "What have I done?"

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_Please, please review! Let me know how I can make this story better!_


	8. Chapter 8

_Hey readers! I know I said I'll put this up two Sundays ago and I am so sorry for the late update! I'll try to be more regular (hopefully). I just have a REALLY busy schedule right now..._

_Anyway, this is not really a great chapter, more like just a filler...but I hope you'll like it anyway._

_Thanks for all the reviews and subscriptions! I really look forward to reading each one every time I put up a new chapter. I'm hoping to get many more reviews this time._

_As usual, the story is in McGonagall's perspective with the interruptions by James Sirius, Albus or any of the paintings being in **bold letters. **If you find this chapter a little confusing in any way, let me know.**  
**_

_Hope you all like it and please review!_

_Disclaimer : No matter how much I want to, I'll never own Harry Potter._

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Remus didn't let Madam Pomfrey allow his friends into the hospital wing. He joined the rest of the school in two days but avoided the Marauders. James made sure Sirius gave Remus enough space but after a week, he tried talking to Remus. Getting Remus to talk, however, was a herculean task. Remus was a Marauder after all; he knew every secret passage in the school and used them to avoid James at all costs. He didn't even talk in the dormitory. He spent most of his time in the Library and studiously ignored the rest of them in the dormitory or common room.

The rest of the school noticed this behavior too. The Slytherins were delighted that the Marauders seemed to be breaking up. The rest of the school was divided between sympathy and disappointment that there were no pranks anymore. But, no one knew _why _the Marauders were no longer a team. There were several theories ranging from blackmail conspiracies to speculations on whether Sirius was caught with Remus' secret (and non-existent) girlfriend, but no one was close to the truth.

Two people did know what had happened – Lily and Severus. Lily had had a huge fight with Severus the day after the incident, telling him that it had been none of his business whether or not Remus was a werewolf. Severus had tried to protest but Lily had reminded him again that Remus was her friend too and she would stand up for him.

About three weeks after the incident, Remus was sitting by the lake one evening. He was simply staring into space when a voice interrupted his thoughts. "Hey, Knut for your thoughts?"

He looked up to find Mary Macdonald smiling at him.

"No, I wasn't really thinking about anything," he said.

"You sure?" asked Mary sitting beside him, "You seem pretty lost, especially without your friends."

"They're not my friends anymore."

"Really? Then why do you spend so much time brooding over them or stealing quick glances at them to see if they're as miserable as you are?"

"I can't be their friend. I thought I could trust them," said Remus looking away.

Mary looked at him, right in his blue eyes. "Ok, let's cut the small talk. I know what you are. I know you're a werewolf. I also know that you and your friends haven't been the same since full moon. What happened?"

Remus stared at her, open-mouthed. "You know?" he whispered, "But how?"

"Come on, I'm not stupid. We did werewolves in class remember? Anyone who's observant enough would have realized it. Not that your excuses aren't believable of course," she said.

"Then why are you talking to me? You should be scared or disgusted. You're a pureblood; I know you've been taught to fear me. And it's true, I _am_ a monster," said Remus edging away from her.

"Stop moving away, you don't have some contagious disease. I don't care what you are Remus. I know you're not scary or evil. Yes I was always taught to fear werewolves but you've hung around with Sirius for three years, you know we don't believe everything we're taught. Frankly, I always imagined werewolves to be grotesque, evil creatures but you just don't fit the bill. You're one of the sweetest, kindest, most intelligent boys I know. You shouldn't be wasting your life wallowing in self-pity. You should be showing everyone that you're as normal as they are. I'm not saying that you should shout at the top of your voice that you're a werewolf, but you shouldn't make yourself an outcast. You're a werewolf only for one night a month. But, for the rest of the time, you're just Remus Lupin," Mary took a deep breath at the end of her speech, "So tell me, why are you guys fighting?"

Remus looked at her for a moment, his eyes showing his respect for her and gratitude, "Sirius told someone about my…condition and that person came after me on full moon night. James came to pull him back but I could have killed them both and Sirius thought it would be a good prank."

"Sirius is Sirius. He doesn't think about consequences. I'm sure he thought whoever he was pranking would get caught by Madam Pomfrey. True, you could have killed or bitten them, but you _didn't_. That's all that matters. And you know Sirius is really sorry. I have never seen him so quiet and subdued. They're your friends Remus. People do some really irrational things that hurt people around them. But only friends feel guilty and sorry about it later because they really care. You should forgive them," said Mary.

"You're full of long speeches today."

"Don't change the subject."

Remus smiled, "I'll think about it. I might just give them another chance."

"That's good," said Mary, lightly squeezing his hand.

He squeezed back lightly, "Thanks a lot."

She smiled, got up and started walking away towards the castle when Remus suddenly remembered something. "Hey Mary," he called, "did you send me those chocolates?"

"No. What chocolates?" she asked, looking confused.

"Never mind," said Remus, trying not to look too disappointed.

_She's right, _he thought_, friends do some really irrational things._ But he also had a feeling that the tingles he'd felt when she'd squeezed his hand or the way is heart raced in excitement when he realized she might be the one who sent him chocolates was not really very rational either.

That evening, when Remus was walking back to Gryffindor Tower, a pair of hands grabbed him from behind suddenly. Before he could reach for his wand, someone had tied his hands and blindfolded him and was leading/dragging him up the stairs. He heard a lot of voices, a sudden stunned silence and he was taken up more stairs. A door closed, and he was pushed onto a bed. His hands were untied and the blindfolded removed. He blinked and looked around.

"Ok who's idea was it to _abduct _me just to get me into the dormitory where _I was heading anyway_?"

The other three Marauders looked sheepish.

"Sorry Remus," said James, "But you wouldn't listen to us otherwise. It was Peter's idea by the way."

"Remus," started Sirius. He looked anguished. "Remus, I'm really, really sorry. What I did and what I said to you were absolutely, undoubtedly and irrevocably stupid. I can't say or do anything to change it. But I really feel regretful and please, please forgive me. No matter how much I'm against it, I still do have some Black genes. But I only said that because I was angry with Snape and myself and I just wanted to protect you. Please say you'll forgive me."

Remus' face was impassive as he spoke, "Someone told me today that people do some stupid things sometimes but only friends feel sorry about it. At fist, I didn't think that was true but after that really sincere apology, I think I need to change my opinion. And no matter how many Black genes you might have, you're still Sirius. You're a true Gryffindor who doesn't think twice about what he says when he's upholding his loyalty to his friends. And after _you've_ used such big words like 'irrevocably' in your apology, how can I say no? I forgive you Sirius."

Sirius looked at him and then his face broke into a huge smile. He walked forward and hugged Remus. "Thanks Moony, I'm really sorry though."

"Hey, don't worry about it, Padfoot. Besides if I didn't forgive you, you'd probably have broken into the Ministry, stolen a Time Turner and gone back in time to reverse everything you did," said Remus.

"He was going to," said Peter, "until James threatened to knock him out."

"You know what? This calls for a celebration. Let's prank the Slytherins!" said James.

"YEAH!"

When the Marauders celebrated, they did it in style. The next morning, the Slytherins were exceptionally grouchy because their faces were covered with red and gold paint that wouldn't wash off for at least a week. Even though everyone knew the Marauders were behind it, they had no way of proving it. Everyone was just happy that the Marauders were back to being friends.

Severus cornered Lily in the Entrance Hall.

"You know they're behind this," he said, "How could you laugh along with them today?"

Lily grinned, "Well, Remus is still my friend and I can't rat him out. Plus I'm also a Gryffindor and about the face paint…what can I say? The Marauders are back." She ran off to class leaving a very disappointed Severus Snape behind.

**Albus and James laughed. "She's a true Gryffindor alright," said James. **

"**I'm really glad the Marauders made up," said Al.**

"**You would be. We teachers were hoping for some peace and quiet," said McGonagall but she was smiling too. She went on, "The rest of the year went on with pranks and James ambushing Lily every now and then. But fourth year was when the sparks really started flying."**

**The boys leaned forward as McGonagall started with the story of the Marauders' fourth year.**

Lily was on Platform 9 and 3 quarters a little earlier than she had planned. Somehow, she'd ended up near a compartment with her heavy trunk and lost her parents in the mist. She decided to stow her trunk in the compartment and then hunt for them. But getting the trunk on board was easier said than done. After her third unsuccessful attempt, she groaned, "I should have left 'Numerology and Grammatica' at home."

"That used to be one of my favourite books," said a voice behind her. She turned to see a tall, slender, red-haired woman walking towards her. "Need some help?" she asked.

"Yes, please," said Lily.

The woman lifted her trunk with magic and into a luggage rack.

"Thanks," said Lily.

"No problem," said the woman. "I was just looking for my husband and son and I thought you could use some help." She talked to Lily about Arithmancy and Hogwarts in general for a while. Lily was beginning to really like this carefree, happy young woman.

"My son never took up Arithmancy. It was my favourite subject, but he likes to take it easy. He's a hard worker when he needs to be though. Unfortunately, he takes after his mischievous, prank-loving father," the woman said smiling slightly.

The description sounded suspiciously familiar to Lily. "I'm sorry," she said, "I didn't get your name?" she began, when another all too familiar voice called through the mist, "There you are mum!"

_No way,_ thought Lily, _this amazing lady cannot be James Potter's mother._

James Potter (unfortunately for Lily) walked through the mist with a man who looked almost exactly like him and was undoubtedly his father.

"Ah, here they are," said the woman, "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Teresa Potter; this is my husband, Richard and our son James."

"Evans!" said James delightedly. He turned to his parents, "Mum, Dad, meet Lily Evans."

Both his parents eyes widened in recognition at the name.

"I should have guessed," said Teresa, "You are as charming and beautiful as James described you."

"And we should know; he never stopped talking about you," added Richard.

James was blushing, Lily was just shocked. Her parents saved her from answering by suddenly appearing through the mist. "There you are Lily," said Jane Evans.

"You must be Lily's parents. Don't worry; I helped her with her trunk. It's easy to lose yourself in this mist," said Teresa.

"Mum, Dad, this is Mr. and Mrs. Potter. They're my classmate, James' parents," said Lily.

"Mr. and Mrs. Evans, I'm James Potter and I'm going to ask you for your daughter's hand in marriage someday," said James suddenly, with a grin.

Lily's jaw dropped and all the parents burst out laughing. "Yes, we know all about you, young man," Lily's been ranting about you all summer," said her father, his eyes twinkling.

James grinned at Lily and put his arm around her shoulders, "See Lilykins, he approves of me. All you have to do is agree to the proposal," he said and winked at her.

Lily finally snapped out of it. She shook his arm off and pulled her wand out looking so fierce that James decided to run for it. Lily chased after him, yelling, "James Potter I am going to kill you even if it lands me in Azkaban!"

Richard Potter grinned, just like his son did, "Quite the perfect couple, aren't' they?"

That was pretty much how fourth year went. James asked Lily out; Lily hexed him, the cycle repeated.

"**Minerva, don't stop fourth year there. Tell them about some of Lily's best hexes," said Snape. **

"**Oh alright, let's take you boys through some of Lily's favourite hexes."**

_Start-of-term feast:_

Fireworks exploded in various shapes and colours. Pandemonium reigned for a while and then the fireworks made a huge sentence over Gryffindor table, on which James was standing. He read out the sentence, "Lily Evans, you are the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. Will you go out with me?"

Lily's face was as red as her hair. "James Potter, get off that table NOW!" she yelled.

He simply went down on one knee and held out a whole bouquet of flowers. She got up, raised her wand and pointed it at the flowers, angrily. A huge cloud of pollen enveloped James.

"Lily…acchoo!...I'm allergic…acchoo!...to pollen…ACCHHOO!" he sneezed.

"**Yeah, I've tried to compliment Rosalie too many times. I told her she looked really good when she was in Care of Magical Creatures and was all hot and sweaty. She loosed a hippogriff on me. That's when I learnt timing was important," said James ruefully.**

"**Oh, so **_**that's **_**why you were running across the grounds with a hippogriff chasing you. It was good entertainment for me in History of Magic class," said Albus. **

**McGonagall moved on to the next incident.**

_Halloween party:_

Lily had dressed up as a vampire. James ran up to her screaming, "Bite me Lily!"

Lily had immediately run in the opposite direction screaming, "Get away from me, you freak!"

James had used one of his (or rather, Sirius') worst pick-up lines ever. "You're a vampire tonight Lily, but you didn't drink my blood. You took it's source. You stole my heart."

The crowd burst into laughter.

"James Potter!" yelled Lily, hexing his robes to become a sack and tie him up in it.

_Christmas dance:_

Lily entered the Great Hall to find a huge present in the middle of the Hall.

"Hey Evans, it's addressed to you," said someone.

Curious, Lily walked up to the box and pulled the ribbon off. Immediately, James popped out singing, "Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way! Oh what fun it would be to ride in a one horse open sleigh with you Lily darling. Please, go out with me. You'll be the best Christmas present ever."

"James Potter, will you ever give up?" she demanded.

"No," he replied.

Lily sighed and waved her wand. The huge ribbon tied him up like a mummy.

"Leaving my face uncovered so you can snog me Evans?" smirked James.

She walked up to him, really close, and then slapped him hard and walked away.

"Go out with me Evans?" he called.

"POTTER!"

_Some day in January:_

Lily was hurrying away from the Charms classroom. James had asked her out _again_ and was now the victim of a severe tickling charm. She was hoping to get away before he recovered.

"**I've been on the receiving end of that one. It's as agonizing as the Cruciatus Curse," said James.**

"**Wasn't that the time you tried to sing one of Shakespeare's sonnets because you found out Rosalie liked literature?" asked Albus.**

"**How was I supposed to know she didn't like rock music? It made that boring old sonnet more lively," said James.**

"**It was funny to watch you though. **_**I **_**nearly died laughing though **_**you**_** were the one under the tickling charm," said Al.**

"**What happened in the Charms corridor, I don't remember this one," said Snape.**

"**That's because you didn't have Charms with Lily," said McGonagall. She continued.**

"Evans," called a voice.

_Not again_ thought Lily. Without turning around, she started, "Potter I will_ not _go out with you. Get this through your thick skull, it must be the fiftieth time I'm saying this. I'd rather go out with Black." She turned around to find Sirius grinning at her.

"Why Lily, I had no idea you had such feelings for me. I actually just came to ask if I could borrow some of your notes. I can't wait to tell James. His loss is my gain right? See you on Sunday at five in Hogsmeade Evans," he said, still grinning wickedly.

Lily was dumbstruck and realized what had just happened after Sirius started walking away. "What – no wait! Sirius! It was an insult not an invitation for you to go out with me! Sirius Black, get back here this instant!"

_Valentines Day:_

Lily woke up early that morning, she opened her eyes and shut them again very quickly. Alison woke up too. She opened her eyes and said, "What the heck? Why's the room _pink?"_

"Don't look at me," said Alice.

"Hey Lily, why's your bed all decorated like a princess'?" asked Mary blinking hard to avoid hurting her eyes from all the fluorescent pink. Lily looked around to find her bed indeed decorated very extravagantly.

"Potter," she growled, looking murderous. The other girls watched as she dressed at top speed and stormed down the stairs.

"JAMES POTER," she yelled.

"Good morning Lilyflower. Happy Valentines Day," he said smiling broadly.

"Potter, _why _is my dormitory pink?" she asked angrily.

His face fell. "You don't like pink? I thought all girls liked the coulour."

"Have you ever seen a redhead wear pink?" she demanded.

"I can always change it to red if you like. I'm getting really good at transfiguration. Well, actually I'm the best," he said, rumpling up his hair.

She glared at him, "You are such an arrogant, boastful, annoying toe rag. And remember, all girls don't like pink," she pulled out her wand and, in seconds, James stood before her with bright red hair and pink robes. "Maybe I'm not as good at Transfiguration, but I do have quite the flair for Charms," she snapped, before storming back up to her dormitory.

Sirius came down the stairs and took one look at James before closing his eyes. "Seriously James? Red and neon pink? My eyes hurt just by looking at you," he said.

Remus came down, smirking, "I told you she wouldn't like pink."

"Way to be supportive guys," muttered James.

"**Yeah, I learnt the hard way that all girls don't like pink too," said James.**

"_**I **_**told you Rosalie wouldn't like pink too," said Al.**

"**At least I didn't turn her whole dormitory pink.**

"**You turned all her robes pink with big hearts on it."**

"**She chased me around the school throwing every hex she could think of. It's a wonder I'm still alive."**

"**Wasn't that the time you ended up in the Hospital wing with tentacles?"**

"**Yeah," sighed James.**

"**Don't worry, your grandparents ended up together, you can do it too." Said Dumbledore encouragingly. **

"**Well, how about we continue onto fifth year tomorrow, since it's pretty late?" asked McGonagall.**

**The boys nodded and left.**

"**James Sirius Potter has really grown on you hasn't he Minerva?" asked Dumbledore quietly.**

**McGonagall smiled and replied, "Much as I hate to admit it, yes, he has. After all, he **_**is**_** just like his grandfather."**

* * *

_So, what did you think? Let me know with a review!_


	9. Chapter 9

_Hey! Thanks for reviewing the last chapter! Thanks for all the story alerts and favourites too! _

_This chapter turned to be a lot smaller when I typed it than when I wrote it down on paper...it's mostly scenes from OOTP and DH but I still hope you like it._

_Please, do review and tell me what you think about the story, my writing, anything I need to do to make the story better..._

_I changed the words on the parts from the books a little to make it smaller...hope it's still ok_

_As always, the parts with Lily and James are in normal font and the parts with James Sirius and Albus Severus is in **bold**.  
_

_Anyway, hope you all enjoy!_

_Disclaimer : I don't own Harry Potter even if I've used a couple of scenes in this chapter. JK Rowling, it's all yours!  
_

* * *

**James Sirius Potter woke up slowly. He opened one eye to find sunlight streaming in through the window. It was early for a holiday but not so early that the sun hadn't risen yet. He stretched and walked to the bathroom with his toothbrush. He looked at himself in the mirror. A boy with messy black hair that never stayed flat, handsome features and brown eyes looked back at him. He had his mother's brown eyes, though he looked mostly like his father, and as he'd now come to know, his grandfather. Albus looked **_**exactly**_** like their dad, right down to the bright green eyes. **_**Lily Evans' bright green eyes**_**, he thought remembering the stories he'd heard yesterday.**

**Lily Evans sounded a lot like Rosalie. Same fiery temper, Gryffindor spirit and a strong aversion to the boys who really liked them. But after hearing about his grandfather, it struck James that he was as arrogant and annoying as his grandfather. Now that he knew what he must seem like to Rosalie, he was determined to change, not just for her, but also because he didn't want to be remembered as an arrogant bullying boy who appeared to care about nothing. He wanted to stop being the person he pretended to be. He wouldn't give up fun of course, just tone it down a bit and try not to act like a complete jerk.**

**He walked down the stairs to the common room after stopping by his brother's dormitory to throw a pillow at him and wake him up. He stepped into the common room just as a girl came down the other staircase. She stopped when she saw him.**

"**Potter," said Rosalie stiffly.**

"**Rosalie wait," said James. She turned to look at him.**

"**I'm sorry I've been acting like a bigger jerk than usual lately. I shouldn't bother you or try to force you to go out with me. I'll stop asking you out if you don't like it and I'll try not to embarrass the others as far as possible in future pranks," he said.**

**Rosalie gaped at him, "Are you all right?" she asked with concern.**

"**Yeah," said James surprised.**

"**You sure you haven't been Confunded?"**

**James smiled. She really was like Lily Evans. "No, I haven't been Confunded. I've just been introspecting. I looked at it from your perspective and I realized I've been a bit of a pest."**

**Rosalie looked at him curiously for a moment and then smiled. She had never smiled at him before. James understood only then why his grandfather had been so taken with Lily's smile. Rosalie was always beautiful but right now, she looked amazing. His thoughts were interrupted when she spoke.**

"**I like the change. Why can't you always be this nice?" she asked.**

"**It's in my DNA," he said, smiling back.**

"**Ok, I'll give you a second chance. Maybe you're not really the arrogant idiot you appear to be…James," she said.**

**James' grin grew wider. She had called him by his first name. She smiled again, "Well I'm off to breakfast," she said and walked out of the portrait hole without asking him to join her.**

**James' smile slid slowly off his face. "Stupid Potter," he muttered to himself angrily, "What were you hoping for? An invitation to breakfast and then to be her boyfriend? She just wants to be friends of course."**

"**Oh, I wouldn't be so sure of that," said a cheerful voice.**

**James jumped right out of the chair he'd just sat down in. He looked around to find Dumbledore smiling at him from a landscape painting over the fireplace.**

"**What do you mean?" asked James.**

"**Well, you just sprung a huge surprise on her by being nice. She's just not used to that idea yet and she found it awkward to talk to you for too long. You need to let her get used to you gradually. She'll come round eventually .I've seen it happen before."**

"**You're sure about that?" **

"**Well I don't claim to be an expert on matters of the heart, but this time, just trust me."**

**Albus came down the stairs just then, "Good morning Professor."**

"**Good morning Al, ready to go upstairs?" Dumbledore asked. **

"**Yeah."**

**The boys walked all the way to the Head's office. "Good morning boys," said McGonagall. **

**Snape merely nodded at them. "What's up Professor Snape?" asked James.**

"**Oh, he's just worried that I'm going to tell you about his worst memory today. Not that it's an unfounded fear," said McGonagall. "So ready to hear about fifth year?"**

**The boys nodded and settled into their comfortable armchairs.**

Fifth year was a dark year. Voldemort was growing stronger and many muggleborns were getting worried. It started off on a pretty glum note.

Dumbledore stood up to make his start-of-term speech. "Students, I do hate to start the year on such a morbid note but I fear it is necessary. The Dark wizard known as Lord Voldemort is getting stronger. You must lay aside your differences and be united. If the foundations of friendship and trust are not laid now, each of you, irrespective of your heritage, will feel the consequences later in life. I cannot force you to like someone, but civility and tolerance at least must be observed. I hope you will make the most of this year. Good luck."

The hall was silent for a few moments and then everyone rose to go to bed. Lily and Remus were the new prefects and went off to guide the first years.

"I think what Dumbledore was really trying to say was 'Lay off the Slytherins,'" said Sirius.

"Oh, yeah, we'd really want to be friends with a bunch of morons with an overdose of a superiority complex," said James as they walked through the portrait hole.

"Yeah, well, you know what they say, if you can't join them, beat 'em," said Sirius grinning.

"I believe that saying's the other way around Black. And we're trying to achieve house unity, and that won't happen if you keep pranking them," said Lily appearing behind them suddenly.

"Who asked for your opinion, Evans?" snapped Sirius.

"I wish you would," said Lily softly and walked away.

"Girls!" said Sirius throwing up his hands, "They're all fortune cookies."

"Do you think she'll give us detention?" asked Peter.

"Not unless she thinks we deserve it. Evans is fair and a good Gryffindor. She does get angry easily but she's never spiteful," said James.

"Yeah, you should know. You've researched her well enough to publish a paper on her," said Remus, coming in.

James blushed as Sirius laughed, "Good one Moony. And he didn't research her, he stalked her."

"Of course, if you unnecessarily prank the Slytherins, I'll have to give you detention," said Remus.

"Aw, Moony," complained James and Sirius.

But since when did detention stop the Marauders? Over the next couple of months, they pranked the school thrice and the Slytherins six times. They also pranked Lily and her friends a couple of times (she gave the detention of course). She had just told them off and was stomping back to her dormitory when a hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her into an empty classroom. She reached for her wand opened her mouth to scream but a hand was clapped over her mouth and her abductor whispered, "Shh, it's only me."

He released her and Lily rounded on him, "What the _hell_ was that for Sev?" she demanded.

"Sorry. I couldn't let anyone else notice," he replied.

"Notice what? That a lowly muggleborn and an _alleged_ pureblood are talking?"

"Look, I know they're not very nice-"Snape began, but Lily cut him off.

"Not very nice? They're sick Sev. Your friends nearly cursed one of my best friends with Dark Magic. Alison told me what your friends called her. You're just lucky Dumbledore hasn't heard you lot say it."

"I've told you, they're just trying some experiments."

"If you were trying to turn a stone into a rabbit, I wouldn't care about your experiments. But Avery and Mulciber are trying to harm people!"

"I-I can't just leave them Lily, you don't understand."

"I understand perfectly, Severus. I just don't like it. I just know you're not like them ,at least not around me, but I'm afraid that one day, you'll become like them and I'll be another muggleborn you don't care about. Why do you have to be two different people Sev? Why do you have to be Dr. Jekyll with me and Mr. Hyde when you're with them? All this secrecy just shows how much you want to be a part of them but still want to be my friend. It's time you picked a side," said Lily. She looked at him with her deep green eyes for a moment and then walked away. Severus watched her go and for a moment, he was tempted to go after her and walk with her into the Great Hall. But then, he remembered who his other friends were and what they were capable of. There was one thing she'd got wrong though. Lily would never be just another muggleborn. She had no idea how much he cared about her.

"**You know, those were my PRIVATE thoughts," said Snape.**

"**It brings color to the story," said McGonagall, shrugging.**

"**Yeah, but it's a serious breach of student privacy. I could go to the Wizengamot," he said.**

"**Oh yeah, let's see a painting make it to the Ministry," McGonagall replied.**

**Albus changed the subject quickly. "Was that your worst memory? It didn't seem so bad."**

**McGonagall answered before Snape could, "No, that was just the first of many fights between them that year."**

"**I still don't see why thy need to know about **_**the **_**memory," grumbled Snape.**

"**Believe me, reliving the memory of seeing you in your unmentionables isn't something I'm looking forward to either. Unfortunately it's a turning point in the story, so they need to know," replied McGonagall. **

"**Well think about me having to listen about myself in my underwear," said Snape.**

"**If it was **_**clean**_** underwear-"**

"**Hey, they were clean. They were just a bit old that's all."**

"**You were a wizard! You couldn't have made them look a little new?"**

"**Um, would someone explain what you're talking about?" asked James, putting up his hand.**

"**Well that would be a spoiler, so why don't I just get on with the story," said McGonagall. She continued.**

While Severus and Lily were drifting apart, the Marauders were getting closer. They had managed to turn into Animagi once before but that month was the first time they'd be out with Remus.

The moon was rising, large and yellow over the treetops. In the village of Hogsmeade, the residents bolted their doors and windows as a bloodcurdling howl emanated from the Shrieking Shack.

Up at Hogwarts, three boys slipped out under an Invisibility Cloak. When they reached the Whomping Willow, a small rat slipped out of nowhere and pressed the knot. The Willow froze and minutes later, a strange assortment of animals emerged from a hole near its roots.

A stag, a dog, a rat and a werewolf ran joyfully across the grounds. The werewolf let out a long, happy howl but was quickly silenced by the shaggy black dog which jumped on it with a quick glance at the castle. The stag kept the werewolf occupied by engaging it in a wrestling match with its horns.

The creatures raced across the grounds to the lake. The moon was reflected beautifully in the water. The three biggest animals jumped in. Every now and then, the werewolf showed signs of wanting to bite one of the animals playfully, but they were careful not to get close to its teeth. The dog did suffer a mild, long scratch down one leg, but its enthusiasm was undiminished. For once, the full moon was spent in happiness and not anxiety.

The next day, Remus awoke in the hospital wing to find three faces grinning at him.

"That was awesome!" said Sirius.

James nudged him hard, "Keep it down Padfoot. Do you want Madam Pomfrey finding out?"

"But that really was fun," said Peter.

Remus groaned and got up, wincing. "Easy for you to say," he grumbled. "Your transformations are painless and voluntary." He grabbed a chocolate from the box they all knew would be there by his bed and popped it into his mouth.

"You know, chocolate isn't good for you in the mornings, especially when you're supposed to be unwell," said Sirius smirking.

Remus glared at him then shrugged, "I guess I do feel better than usual though."

"See Moony, we told you nothing would go wrong," said Sirius.

"Don't say that, it's bad luck. Though I hate to admit it, yeah, I guess we did have fun," replied Remus.

"That's the spirit, Remus. We have to leave now, but we'll back in the evening," said James.

The Marauders left. As they were walking out the door, Remus heard Sirius say, "Oh, hello Macdonald."

Mary walked in, smiling. Remus felt nervous and tried to compose himself.

"So," said Mary, "You're looking better than usual."

Remus smiled, "Yeah, the night wasn't as rough as always."

"So, these are the mystery chocolates?" asked Mary looking at them.

"Yeah, James never fails to speculate on who the secret admirer could be and frankly, I'd like to find out myself."

Remus noticed the sudden flash of annoyance that crossed Mary's face.

"Well I have to go, I'll be late for class," she said and left quickly.

Remus smirked; the Marauder in him couldn't help noticing that she'd left rather too quickly after he'd mentioned the secret admirer.

In a few months however, the teenagers of Hogwarts didn't really have the time to think about their crushes. Exams were fast approaching and the fifth years were especially stressed out. The teachers weren't helping either with all the "You are all OWL students" speeches either.

But, even with all the tension, OWLs went smoothly for most of the students. There was a minor mishap when a charm caused a hamster to swell up and start chasing everyone but the Marauders and Lily and her friends did fine. Lily and Severus meanwhile had been growing further apart but the last straw came about after the DADA exam.

Lily and friends were cooling off by the lake. James was playing with a Snitch and Sirius was getting bored. So they reverted to their favourite pastime – tormenting Snape.

"All right, Snivellus?" said James loudly.

Snape plunged his hands into his robes. It was almost as thought he'd been expecting an attack. His wand was halfway into the air when James shouted,"Expelliarmus!" Snape's wand flew into the air and landed in the grass behind him. Sirius pointed his wand at Snape and said, "Impedimenta." Snape was knocked off his feet and lay panting on the ground.

"How'd the exam go Snivelly?" said James.

"I was watching him; his nose was touching the parchment. There'll be great grease marks all over it, they won't be able to read a thing," said Sirius viciously.

A crowd had gathered by now and everyone was laughing. Snape let out a string of curses and swear words but with his wand ten feet away, nothing happened.

"Wash out your mouth," said James coldly, "Scourgify."

Snape gagged as his mouth filled with pink soap bubbles.

"Leave him ALONE!" yelled Lily, storming up to them.

"All right there, Evans?" asked James, his voice suddenly deeper, more mature.

"Leave him alone," she repeated, "What's he done to you?"

"Well," said James, "it's more the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean."

Several people laughed but Lily remained angry.

"You think you're funny Potter, but you're just an arrogant, bullying toe rag. Leave him _alone_."

"I will if you go out with me Evans. Go on, go out with me and I'll never lay a wand on Snivelly again," said James quickly.

"I wouldn't go out with you if it were a choice between you and the giant squid."

"Bad luck Prongs," said Sirius briskly, turning around, "OI!"

There was a flash of light and a gash appeared on James' cheek, spattering his robes with blood. He whirled around and a second flash of light later, Snape was hanging upside down, his robes falling over his head to reveal a pair of skinny, pallid legs and a pair of greying underpants.

The crowd burst into laughter. Lily, whose furious expression had twitched for a moment, as though she was about to smile, glared at James, "Let him down."

"Certainly," he said, lowering his wand.

Snape disentangled himself from his robes and got to his feet. "Petrificus Totalus," said Sirius and he keeled over again.

"I said, leave him alone!" shouted Lily. She had her own wand out now. James and Sirius eyed it warily.

"Ah, don't make me hex you Evans," said James.

"Take the curse off him then."

James sighed and muttered the counter curse. "You're lucky Evans was here to save you Snivellus."

"I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her."

Lily blinked.

"Fine," she said coolly, "Next time, I won't bother. And I'd wash your pants if I were you _Snivellus_."

"Apologise to Evans," roared James.

"I don't want _you_ to make him apologise, you're as bad as he is!"

"What? I'd never call you a you-know-what," spluttered James.

"Messing up your hair just because you think it looks cool, showing off with that stupid Snitch, hexing anyone who annoys you just because you can, I'm surprised your fat head can get off the ground on your broomstick. You make me SICK." She turned on her heel and stormed away.

"Evans, hey EVANS!" James called. She didn't turn back. "What is it with her?" asked James.

"Reading between the lines, she thinks you're a bit conceited mate," said Sirius.

But, if James was angry, it was nothing to what Lily was feeling. Her friends gave her some space for the rest of the day but when she didn't show up for dinner, Alice and Alison marched up to the dormitory.

They found her sitting on her bed staring vacantly at the wall.

"Ok Lily, that's enough," said Alison.

"Go away," said Lily.

"We will _not_ go away. Snape never deserved to be your friend," said Alison.

"But he _was _Alison," said Lily miserably. "He introduced me to magic. Isn't it ironic that he should introduce me to the Dark side of it too?"

"Lily, he's not your friend anymore. Friends don't call each other offensive names," said Alice, putting her arms around Lily.

"This is all Potter's fault. If he hadn't started tormenting Severus, all this would never have happened," said Lily, starting to cry.

"Do you really believe that Lils?" asked Alice softly. "You've said yourself that you and Snape were drifting apart. Maybe Potter was a catalyst but it would have happened soon if not today. Snape would eventually have said what he did without provocation. In case you haven't noticed, Mary and I are purebloods too and so are Sirius and James but we would never call you or Alison that name."

"He's not your friend anymore Lily," said Alison. "You asked him to pick a side. He's made his choice."

Mary came running up, "Lily, Snape's outside the portrait hole. He's threatening to sleep there if you don't talk to him. Want me to hex his brains out?"

Lily looked up, looking a lot better. She wiped away her tears and pushed her hair back and picked up her wand, looking fierce.

"Right," she said, "How do I look?"

"Scary," replied all three girls. Lily walked out to find Snape right outside the portrait hole.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"I'm not interested."

"I'm sorry!"

"Save your breath. I only came out here because Mary told me you were going to sleep here."

"I was! I would've done-"

"It's too late Severus. You've made your choice, you and all your Death Eater friends. You see, you don't even deny that's what you're all aiming to be. None of my friends even understand why I talk to you."

"Look, I didn't mean to call you – it just-"

"Slipped out? But you call everyone of my birth Mudblood, Severus. Why should I be any different?" She walked in coolly, leaving a very sad Snape behind.

**James and Albus looked revolted.**

"**You called her…that?" asked James.**

"**You were supposed to love her," said Albus. Both of them glared at Snape.**

"**It slipped out okay? I've regretted that mistake for the rest of my life," he snapped.**

"**But how could you **_**do**_** that to her? She trusted you and stood up for you and you just blew it all away!" said Albus angrily.**

"**James wasn't exactly the epitome of innocence either. He was pretty horrible too. I'm not as bad as that, am I?" James asked worriedly.**

"**Don't worry, you've got some of Lily and Ginny's genes in you, you're not that bad," said Dumbledore.**

"**I told you, I regretted it every moment of my life. I loved her. I spied on Voldemort for her. I protected her son, I actually protected **_**James Potter's **_**son. You think I'd have done that if he hadn't married Lily? I even died for Harry Potter," burst out Snape suddenly.**

"**He does have a point," said McGonagall softly.**

"**Severus picked the wrong side but when he saw what he was losing, he came back to the right side," said Dumbledore.**

**Albus seemed to have taken it more personally than James. He opened his mouth to retort but James put a hand on his brother's shoulder.**

"**Let it go, Al. Despite all his faults, Snape loved our grandma. Without him, dad could have died and we wouldn't be here today. Besides, Dad named you after him. That means he was convinced of Snape's love for Lily and he forgave him and I'm sure that Lily would have done the same if she knew the whole story. Besides, if all of this hadn't happened, Lily might have ended up with him. You wouldn't want to be called Albus Snape, would you?" he asked smiling.**

**Albus smiled back, "No, you're right. Why can't you be this nice and sensitive around Rosalie too?"**

"**She said the same thing," muttered James.**

"**When? Why? Give me details, brother!" said Albus excitedly.**

**James sighed and resigned himself to telling his brother the story of that morning's encounter. The story of sixth year would have to wait.**

**

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**_Review please! The more you review, the more inspired I am to write more._**  
**


	10. Chapter 10

_Hey everyone! Thanks for the reviews last chapter. I don't really like this chapter very much, it's not really good, but it's necessary for the story so...here it is!_

_As always the story is in McGonagall's perspective with the interruptions in **bold**._

_Please, please review!_

_Disclaimer : I don't own Harry Potter, if I did, I wouldn't be worrying about exams...  
_

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Sirius Black played with his spoon disinterestedly. He hated the summer holidays. As on most days, the dinnertime discussion was all about whether muggleborns and Muggles should have equal rights as the purebloods. And as always, the purebloods had the favour.

"Purebloods have the money, the power and the status that muggleborns lack. Why should they have to degrade themselves to make a bunch of _commoners_ feel good about themselves?" his mother said.

Sirius simply ate another spoonful of his food. A couple of years ago, he'd have argued that he knew muggleborns who were richer and smarter than most of the purebloods at school. But after nearly sixteen years of hearing this talk, he'd grown tired of arguing. Especially when the only effect it had, was getting him grounded. His eyes slid to Regulus. His brother was hanging on to every word. He was losing Regulus. They didn't talk in school hallways anymore, hardly wrote to each other and avoided each other at home. He'd been sorted into Slytherin and pampered and his head was filled with stupid ideas about Voldemort doing the right thing,

"Regulus made a decision that made us so proud yesterday, Sirius," said his father.

Sirius looked up, bored, "Anything that makes you proud is generally something to do with pureblood supremacy, so I'm not really interested father."

"Silence, boy! Oh the shame of having you as a member of this noble family," screamed his mother, "Go ahead, Regulus, let me hear your decision again,"

"I'm going to join the Death Eaters," said Regulus.

CLANG!

Sirius knocked over his goblet as he spun in his seat to face his brother, stunned. "Say that again," he whispered.

"I'm going to be a Death Eater, Sirius," said Regulus.

To Sirius, it seemed like he and his brother were the only two people in the room. "You're fourteen, Reg. Are you sure about this?"

"Yes Sirius, I am," replied Regulus.

"You should think about it. You're really young to be making a big decision like this," said Sirius. There was a pleading note in his voice.

Regulus looked at him steadfastly, grey eyes locking on to grey. "I'm sure about this Sirius. You told me to believe in what I thought was right. This is the path that I've chosen."

Sirius could see the determination in Regulus' eyes. Suddenly, he got up, "Right then. I'm out of here."

"What? You're leaving?" asked Regulus.

"I can't stay here anymore. I've spoken against your stupid ideas for so long; I can't stay here and hear them anymore. I'm going," said Sirius.

He strode up to his room. "Sirius Black, you come back here this instant," his father shouted. Sirius had barely unpacked his trunk. It had only been a couple of weeks of vacation. He threw his stuff into his trunk and made sure everything in his room was fixed with a permanent sticking charm. He stormed back down dragging his trunk.

"Sirius Orion Black, you walk out and you will ruin the reputation of your family," his mother said.

Sirius spun round with one hand on the doorknob. "What family? You've never treated me as part of this family and I've never wanted to be a part of it either. I'm going to people who care about me, because that's what a family does. Everyone cares about each other. We don't even come close to being a family. I'm leaving." Before anyone could respond, he turned around. He could see guilt and a bit of sadness in Regulus' eyes. He couldn't take it anymore. He walked out and slammed the door shut. He wouldn't go back in there, ever.

He hurried down the street without looking back. He knew none of them would come after him anyway. They hated him. As he walked, he thought about where to go. He couldn't go to Uncle Alphard's, he was too ill to deal with him even if he was his uncle's favourite nephew. He would go to James' place. He'd been there the previous three summers and he knew he'd be going to people who cared about him. He couldn't use his broom of course. His trunk was too heavy and he couldn't risk using magic. But he had a better escape route. He'd been working on it as often as possible.

He reached an old scrap yard and hurried through the mountains of scrap metal till he came to a shed. He opened the doors to let the moonlight fall on a silver, shiny motorbike. He grinned pulling out a bunch of keys from his pocket.

"Let's get this show on the road."

**Snape snorted, "He didn't even intend to **_**use**_** the road. He was going to fly."**

"**It's just an expression, Severus," said McGonagall, rolling her eyes.**

"**He was rather melodramatic though, wasn't he? I can just imagine that whole scene; it's like something straight out of a movie. A moonlit night lighting up towers of scrap and a lone shadowy figure darting quickly through it…A door opens, and the moonlight illuminates a motorcycle while the person remains hidden in shadow, only his mouth lit by the moonlight, his teeth gleaming as he grins…Grey eyes gleam with anticipation as he says, 'Let's get this show on the road,' It really sounds like a scene out of a muggle movie," said Albus.**

"**That was an imaginative description," said Dumbledore. **

"**He might have got it out of a movie. Remus taught him how to use a TV, so Sirius was obsessed with old muggle movies," said McGonagall. She continued.**

James was flat on his stomach on his bed, reading. Though he'd told no one except the Marauders, he loved reading. He was just so scared of being called a nerd or a geek that he preferred to keep one of his greatest passions hidden. His dad was on an Auror assignment and his mum was downstairs, cleaning up after dinner.

He loved the tranquility Godric's Hollow offered. "It's a wonderful, _quiet_ night," he murmured happily.

VROOOM!

James fell off his bed. He was sure no one had a motorcycle in Godric's Hollow. He didn't live very far from London but he knew that motorbikes couldn't be heard from the streets. But this sounded like someone had driven a bike into his backyard.

"Sirius, I'm going to kill you," he muttered, getting up and rushing down.

"James? I thought I heard a motorcycle. It sounded like it was right in our yard," his mum said as he ran down the stairs.

"So did I, mum. And I think I have a pretty good idea who it could be."

Both of them strode out the back door to find Sirius on an enormous motorbike.

"Sirius?" asked Teresa Potter.

James was debating on whether to hex Sirius or not when his eyes fell on the trunk. He looked at Sirius and saw that his grey eyes were brighter than usual. His anger forgotten, James walked forward, "Sirius what happened?"

"I ran away," whispered Sirius. "Regulus decided to join the Death Eaters. There's no one I care about there anymore. I couldn't take it, James, I didn't know where else to go."

"I'm disappointed in you Sirius," said James. Sirius' face fell but James continued, "I'm hurt that you actually _thought_ about where else to go. This is as much your home as it is mine."

Sirius' face brightened immediately. "I can stay with you?" he asked.

"You can _live_ with me," said James.

"James, now I'm disappointed in you," said his mother suddenly. Both boys looked apprehensive, but she smiled and continued, "The first thing you should've done is bring your _brother_ and his things inside."

Both boys grinned hugely. Sirius grabbed her and pulled her into a tight hug. "Whoa, Sirius! I know you're stronger than me, you don't have to prove it by crushing my ribs," she said hugging him back and smiling.

"Thank you _so _much, Mrs. Potter," said Sirius.

She looked at him sternly, "Sirius, you've _lived_ here for three years' worth of holidays. My sons call me 'mum' not 'Mrs. Potter' "

Sirius blinked back tears, "Thanks…mum,"

They suddenly heard the front door open. "Honey, I'm home! Where are you? Did James blow up something again?" they heard Mr. Potter call.

James frowned, "I'm not _always_ the culprit. And he's one to talk; he's as bad as I am."

His mother grinned, "Why don't you go up and het Sirius settled in while I fill your dad in on the night's events and clear your name?"

James nodded and helped Sirius lift his trunk upstairs. "SO Regulus finally cracked, huh?" asked James.

"Yeah, and it's all my parents' fault. What kind of 'parents' would let their son sign up for a career that will only result in either Azkaban or death? Wish I had a licence to kill, I'd have murdered them first," muttered Sirius darkly.

"OK, Sirius, you have _got_ to stop watching those muggle movies. Licence to kill, indeed. You don't even have a licence to _drive_. It's a miracle you managed to get all the way here without getting caught by the muggle police."

"We-ll, I didn't exactly drive on the _roads_."

"Sweet Merlin, please don't tell me you flew."

"I flew."

"Are you crazy? What if you'd been seen?"

"I couldn't fly on a broom, how else was I supposed to get here? Besides, if I'd actually driven on the roads, my driving is so bad, I'd have knocked down all the pedestrians and killed all the policemen who tried to stop me."

"Who's talking about killing in an Auror's house?" asked Mr. Potter, putting on a stern face, though his eyes were twinkling with amusement.

"Hello Mr. Potter," said Sirius.

"Hello Sirius. Nice of you to drop in. Literally."

"Sorry about that," said Sirius sheepishly.

"It's perfectly all right _son_," said Mr. Potter sincerely.

"Thanks, _dad_," said Sirius, equally sincerely.

"How about you two boys sharing a room?" asked Teresa.

"NO!" they said together.

"Mum, we have plenty of room. I put up with his snoring for ten months a year, I can't take it in the holidays too," said James.

"_I_ spend ten months listening to him moan Lily's name all night. I'm definitely not sleeping in his room," said Sirius.

James glared at him. "You dream about her too?" asked his mum.

"Once or twice," said James.

"More like everyday. Although what of dreams they may be is something _I_ don't want to know," said Sirius grinning. His grin turned into a grimace when James kicked him.

"Don't worry James, you'll deflate your head and get her to go out with you someday," said his father, winking.

"**So even his parents knew she found him arrogant?" asked Albus.**

"**Everyone knew. Lily was quite vocal about it," said Dumbledore. **

"**Did he start changing his attitude this year?" asked James.**

"**Oh yes. At first, it was only for Lily, so she still caught him annoying people often when he thought she wasn't looking. Later in the year, things happened that made him change wholeheartedly. He realized that he couldn't **_**force**_** himself on people. He realized that he needed to earn her respect before she would like him," said Dumbledore.**

"**You should find this year interesting James. You'll find quite a few tips that will help you change for the better and for Rosalie," said McGonagall. **

"**After this morning's incident, I'm full of hope," said James.**

"**Sixth year was the year of drama," said McGonagall. **

"**Not really, it was more the year of choices. The students made so many choices, not all of them good," said Dumbledore.**

"**It doesn't matter what sort of year it was, just start already," said Albus. He'd become totally excited after hearing about James and Rosalie's meeting.**

**McGonagall frowned, "You know, I'm still your Headmistress and I can still give you detention for being rude."**

"**Yeah, that's Minerva McGonagall, always generous, always giving….detentions," muttered James to Albus.**

"**I heard that."**

"**Oh come on, Minerva, what happened to all that Christmas cheer?" asked Snape, smirking.**

"**It'll definitely cheer me up if I hex you," she said threateningly. **

"**Ok, ok, the year of drama it is then," said Snape hurriedly.**

"**Okay, sixth year then. It started as usual with the train ride," she began.**

Lily was walking along the corridor, looking into each compartment as she went. She hated patrolling the corridor in the train. Alison had taken pity on her and joined her this time.

"How was your summer, Lily? You hardly wrote this time," said Alison.

"Well, I didn't want to tire out my owl by sending letters all the way to Greece, Alison. Next year, take a vacation somewhere closer home. And my summer was boring. I spent most of it avoiding Petunia and that whale Vernon. They're actually planning on getting married next autumn," said Lily.

"There's a perfect match. The bone and the whale, at least they're both obnoxious. And Greece was beautiful," said Alison grinning but stopped abruptly when Lily held up her hand.

"Did you _see_ his face when the dungbomb blew up under him? It was hilarious!" came the unmistakable voice of Sirius Black.

"I know , mate. This is definitely one of our best train pranks. Too bad Moony and Wormtail weren't in the compartment when we thought about it, but it was really good for a spur of the moment plan. That too without Remus!" they heard James say.

"I know, I'd have loved to plant dungbombs in the Slytherin carriage," came Peter's excited, slightly whiny voice.

"Right, we've got our confession," said Lily grimly.

She strode up to the compartment and pulled open the door. "Thanks for that loud confession, boys. I was wondering how to trace the dungbomb incident back to you. Potter, Black, detention," she said briskly.

"You were eavesdropping ?" asked Sirius incredulously.

"No, I was collecting evidence," Lily replied immediately.

James looked at her and burst into laughter. "Lily Evans, will you _ please _go out with me? I could really listen to your sharp wit every day," said James.

"No Potter, I will _ not _go out with you. If I see Remus in the corridor, I'll be sure to tell him about your detention." She left with Alison.

"Damn, there goes our way out of detention. Moony won't believe us if he hears her story first," said Sirius.

"Her story is a lot more convincing than whatever fiction you two were planning to come up with," said Remus, entering the compartment. He still looked thin and tired but his blue eyes twinkled and a smile lit up his handsome face. "I told you two not to get into any trouble," he continued.

"Yeah, but we were bored, right Prongs?" said Sirius.

James was gazing absently out the window. Peter waved his hand in front of James' face. James started and looked around, "Oh hey Remus, when did you return?"

"Lost in Lilyland again?" sniggered Sirius. James didn't answer, he just looked really sad.

Remus frowned, "What's wrong?"

"I don't know. She's turned me down plenty of times. Why am I feeling so…empty?" said James.

Sirius stared at him, his eyes wide, "You're in love with her!"

"I'm sixteen, Sirius, get serious. I'm not in love."

"Yes you are! That's how all those muggle movies turn out. The hero gets all mopey and sad and lost in his dreams and finally declares his love for the girl and they ride off into the sunset."

"Remus, you have _got_ to stop giving him those muggle movies. He's obsessed. And last time I declared my love for Lily, she set the gargoyles on the school gates on me," said James.

The boys grinned at the memory. It had been a Hogsmeade trip and James had run down the main street with gargoyles chasing him until he realized he could turn them back into inanimate objects.

"I just wish I knew why she doesn't like me," he sighed.

"How many times does she need to tell you? She finds you conceited and a bully and arrogant," said Remus.

"But that 'cool guy' act works on all the other girls," said Sirius.

"Well that's just it, she's not like the other girls. Look at Lily and her friends, they're smart and independent and _original_. She can see right through any 'cool guy' act. She knows that act you put up isn't the real you," said Remus.

"Hey, I haven't just dated bimbos you know. Most of my dates have been pretty smart. They just haven't been Lily," said James.

"How do you know so much about Lily anyway? Have you been secretly going out with her?" asked Sirius, looking at Remus.

"No way," said James, "He only has eyes for Mary. He even blushes at the mere mention of her name."

"He's doing it again," said Peter.

"Oh, shut up," said Remus, turning his pink face away.

"Speaking of blushing, why were _you_ so red when Lily walked in?" James asked, turning to Sirius.

"It had nothing to do with Lily," Sirius muttered.

"Hmm…who was with Lily? Wait a second…you have a crush on Alison Hayes?" demanded James.

Remus looked up, interested. "Well…she's a smart girl, very sharp, really pretty…" Sirius trailed off.

James cleared his throat.

"What? And this conversation was about you and Lily," said Sirius.

"Er, no, let's keep it at you and Alison," said James hurriedly, but Sirius was already teasing him again.

A few compartments away, Alison was rudely awoken by a jet of water hitting her in the face.

"Oi! Who did that?" she spluttered indignantly.

Alice smiled at her happily, "You were saying Sirius' name in your sleep but you were saying something about a date, so I decided to wake you from the nightmare."

"You woke me up from a pretty good dream," muttered Alison.

"_Did _I? I'm sorry then – wait what? A dream with Sirius in it was _good_?" asked Alice incredulously.

"OMG you _like_ him!" screamed Mary.

"Keep it down! Do you want the whole train to know?" hissed Alison. "Lily why are you looking at me like that?"

"You didn't hit you head anywhere, did you Alison?" Lily asked anxiously.

"No."

"Did he slip something in your food?"

"No."

"You've not been hit by a Confundus Charm?"

"LILY!"

"Ok, ok, you fancy Sirius. WHY?" Lily said, looking at Alison.

"Well, we _have_ been friends even if we fight a lot. At the train station last year, he helped me with my trunk and said he'd miss me and he even wrote to tell me he'd run away from home and that he wished he could talk to me," said Alison.

"It just sounds like something a _friend_ would do Alison. He ran away from home?" said Lily.

"Yeah, he's had problems with his parents," replied Alison. The others decided not to probe further, she'd tell them about it when she wanted to. "I don't know, I just got the feeling he likes me too," she said.

"Well, we just don't want you to get hurt. We'll support you whatever your decision may be," said Mary kindly.

"Within reasonable limits," muttered Lily. Alice glared at her so she quickly joined in, "Yeah, Alison, we're with you."

"Thanks guys. I just don't want to tell him yet, not until I'm sure about things," said Alison.

"**Seriously Minerva, did you install cameras all over the train and Hogwarts?" asked Snape.**

"**No, of course not. These were memories that all the students who joined the order gave Dumbledore so that in case they left any children as orphans, they could know their parents' stories later," she replied.**

"**And does Harry Potter knew?" asked Snape.**

"**Well, I did send him a pensieve and all the memories during the summer. I don't know whether he saw them yet," she said.**

"**No, he's not seen them yet," said James.**

"**He wanted us out of the house so he could see them in peace," said Albus.**

"**The package arrived on the day we set off some of Uncle George's firecrackers in the backyard by accident," said James grinning.**

"**The memories were on his bedside table the day we left for Hogwarts, so I guess he intended to see them," said Al.**

"**Oh, yeah, I saw them when I went in to nick the ma…item," said James, hastily covering up. He'd almost said "map". **

"**Do I need to know what this 'item' is?" asked McGonagall, raising an eyebrow. **

"**No," said both boys simultaneously.**

"**You've been awfully quiet, Dumbledore," said McGonagall. "Something wrong?"**

"**Oh no, I'm merely enjoying the drama that teenagers live through. It seems so silly but it is so important to them and so much fun," he replied.**

"**Ok, on with the story then," said McGonagall. She started with the next part…**

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**

_So how was it? Let me know with a review, please! Can I get at least 5 reviews for this chapter?_**  
**


	11. Chapter 11

_Hey, I'm really sorry about the late update. I actually had this chapter ready last week but something happened to my internet connection...the one time I'm ready to post a chapter on time, something happens...:( Anyway, here it is!_

_I also have the next chapter ready. I'll put it up tomorrow depending on the reviews in case I need to do a rewrite..._

_This chapter's not great, but I had fun writing it...so I hope you like it!_

_As always, the interruptions are in **bold** and the JamesXLily part of the story is entirely in McGonagall's perspective except for the interruptions._

_Hope you like it!_

_Disclaimer : I do not own Harry Potter_

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"**Professor, didn't **_**you**_** ever take an active role in getting James and Lily together? Or were you always the silent observer?" Albus asked McGonagall. **

"**I do have a bit of an appearance in this part of the story, but Dumbledore made all the plans," she replied. **

"**Well someone had to show them they were perfect for each other. It so happens that I have a small cameo appearance in this part of the story," said Dumbledore, smiling reminiscently.**

"**Let's get started then," said McGonagall. She started with the story.**

Dumbledore walked into my office on the first day of school. "Minerva, I just got your note about James Potter's detention. Isn't it a little early for him to be getting detention?"

"Well it's not my fault the boy loves to have fun. Miss Evans heard him and Black taking credit for the dungbomb incident on the train. The problem is, none of the teachers are free to take that detention," I replied.

"What about letting Lily supervise them?" asked Dumbledore.

I looked at him as if he'd gone crazy. "The last time they were together in a room was in my class in third year. They nearly blew up the classroom using just third year magic. Putting Miss Evans and Mr. Potter in the same room for a couple of hours is as explosive as leaving Potter and Black alone in a room full of fireworks. He _will_ do something to irritate her and she _will_ fight back."

"But you know your godson. He's not as bad as Lily Evans thinks he is."

"Well, I know that. He's just too scared of showing his softer, kinder and altogether much nicer side."

"Well, this is his chance. He's not as immature as he was three years ago. He could show Lily that he's not all mischief," said Dumbledore.

"Do you really think he'll do it right this time?" I asked skeptically.

"Yes. Something tells me that this year, James Potter is going to show us the real him."

"Very well," I sighed, "Miss Evans can oversee their detention on one condition."

"What?" asked Dumbledore.

"You're telling her," I said.

"This won't be pleasant."

**-X-X-X-X-X-X-**

"No way Professor."

"Miss Evans, there are no other professors who can take that detention this weekend," said Dumbledore.

"So why me? Can't any of the other prefects do it?" asked Lily. She couldn't believe she was refusing the Headmaster's request but there was no way she'd end up supervising a detention with Potter and Black.

"Well you are the one who _gave_ them the detention," said Dumbledore.

"Can't we reschedule it to next week? Some of the teachers might be free by then," said Lily. She was getting desperate now.

"I'm afraid not. I understand your reluctance. What if I gave you my copy of 'The Origins of Magic' to help you pass the time while you are with them?" said Dumbledore.

"The original, unabridged version?"

"Of course."

Lily struggled with herself for a moment. Then, "It's a deal,"

"**You actually bribed her to spend time with James and Sirius?" asked Albus, raising an eyebrow at Dumbledore.**

"**Don't get me wrong but as nice as your grandparents were, they were stubborn as mules," replied Dumbledore.**

"**Must be where James gets it from," said Al, grinning at his brother.**

"**Hey, I'm not the one who refused to get in the car until my sister apologized for tearing up my holiday homework," said James.**

"**Well it was a whole summer of hard work you know," said Al.**

"**It took you three days to finish it all! We spent the rest of that summer in Greece," said James pointedly.**

"**Ok, ok, let's hear the story," said Albus quickly.**

**McGonagall continued.**

"Potter, Black, you'll be doing your detentions on Saturday night. You'll be polishing the trophies in the trophy room," said Lily.

James and Sirius looked up from their lunch, "Ok. Go out with me Evans?" said James. Lily's reply came almost automatically, "No, Potter." She walked away, wishing she'd never had that moment of weakness and agreed to supervise this detention.

Saturday night came far too soon to Lily's displeasure. "Come on, it's just a few hours, how bad can it get?" she told herself as she walked to the trophy room. She was definitely not convincing herself.

Meanwhile, James and Sirius were lounging outside the trophy room. "Wonder who's taking our detention," said James.

"Dunno. It'll probably be one of those extra subject teachers like Trelawney, I guess," said Sirius.

"Please, not Trelawney. I can't spend two hours with her. I had enough of her predicting my death in third year itself," said James.

"Maybe it'll be Professor Sinistra. We could convince her to let us off early _and_ she's kind of cute," said Sirius.

"Ok, I did _not _need to hear that. And there's no way you're getting off early," said a voice behind them. The boys whirled round to see Lily Evans standing behind them. A look of complete delight spread across James' face.

"Evans? You're supervising our detention?" he asked.

"Unfortunately, yes," she replied.

"Don't worry Evans, you're _way _cuter than Professor Sinistra," said Sirius, grinning at her.

"I'm also _way_ too ready to hex you anytime. Now get in. Let's get this over with," she said.

"Stop grinning like that, you look like Christmas has come early," said Sirius softly, nudging James.

"Well if it has, it's brought me my ideal present," he replied.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that," said Lily, sitting down on the only stool in the room. Both boys grinned sheepishly. "Get to work," she said, leaning against the wall.

They sighed and picked up the polish. They worked in silence for a while. "You know, we should get paid as much as Filch does. We've cleaned this place about five times now," complained Sirius.

"Don't forget the three bathrooms and innumerable classrooms we've mopped," added James.

Lily smiled, "No wonder you're so familiar with the best broom closets."

Sirius looked at her, "Did _Lily Evans_ just make a joke?" he asked pretending to be amazed.

"Yes Black. I am capable of humour. I'm not a cruel, stone-hearted witch who stares into a mirror every day and asks it if she's the most beautiful in the land," replied Lily.

James and Sirius looked at her, "What?" they asked together.

"Never mind, it's an old muggle fairytale," said Lily.

"Yeah, you can ask us where to find the best broom closets either for cleaning supplies or…other activities. We're broom closet connoisseurs," declared Sirius.

"Or at least, he is. I take my dates to more romantic places than broom closets," said James.

"You're as bad as he is. You only stopped taking girls to broom closets after that Ravenclaw who was afraid of spiders screamed when a spider landed in her hair and ran out of the closet," said Lily.

James grimaced, "She shrieked in my ear. I swear my right ear has not been the same since."

"What are you scared of most, Evans?" asked Sirius.

"Why do you want to know?" she asked.

"So that I can be around for you to jump into my arms when I put whatever it is you're scared of in your dorm," said Sirius, winking at her.

"Did you two drink Polyjuice Potion and switch bodies?" asked Lily.

"No way. Why would _I_, Sirius Black, the most wanted guy in Hogwarts, want to be trapped in _his_ body?"

"Isn't he usually the one flirting with me?" Lily asked, pointing at James.

"Oh I can start if you like, Evans. I just thought you already didn't want to be here, so why should I ruin your day any more? I'm sure spending a detention with us is not on your priority list on a Saturday night," said James.

"Well, that's…considerate," said Lily, uncertainly.

"So what _are_ you scared of most?" asked Sirius again.

"Rats. I hate those wriggly rodents," said Lily. James and Sirius exchanged a significant look.

"If you're thinking of putting rats in my dorm, I'll make sure you spend the rest of your academic life in detention," said Lily.

"If it's with you, I don't think I'd mind," said Sirius. He sounded almost sincere.

"Yeah, this is the liveliest conversation I've had in detention yet," said James.

"Really? None of the teachers even _talk_?" asked Lily.

"Nope. McGonagall just glares at us. Binns doesn't even realize what we're doing. Filch makes us work harder than Remus does for his exams. Hagrid nearly gets our heads ripped off but I like doing detention with him. Slughorn just keeps going on about his connections. Yeah, this detention is definitely the best so far," said Sirius.

"Well, detentions are supposed to be punishment, not fun," said Lily.

"That's only for goody-goody people like you Evans," said Sirius.

"Lily's not goody, she's just good," said James. Lily blinked. He had been the one who had teased her about not breaking the rules the most.

She replied, "Oh, I break rules, Black. I'm just not stupid enough to get caught."

"Oh yeah? Name one rule that you've broken," said Sirius.

"I sneak down to the kitchens occasionally. I know about that passage that goes to Honeydukes from behind that one-eyed witch's statue. I also saw you lot sneaking out through the same passage one night when I'd gone to buy some chocolates when I wasn't supposed to," she said.

"That was _you_? We thought Snivellus might have followed us," said Sirius. He looked impressed.

"Snape wouldn't have used that passage, he doesn't like sweets very much," said Lily.

"You called him Snape," noted James.

"What, you thought we would continue to be best pals after last year's incident?" she snapped.

Both boys looked slightly guilty. "Hey Lily, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have attacked him. If I hadn't, you'd probably still be friends," said James.

"No. Like Alice said, Snape and I were already falling apart. He cares too much about the wrong side for us to be friends. Maybe you made it happen faster, but we would have stopped being friends eventually," said Lily.

"But you still care about him," said Sirius.

"I don't know if can understand Sirius, but you can't just forget about someone you've cared about for years even if they did something unforgivable. That's what friends do, they forgive. But sometimes, it's just impossible to forgive, so you have to let go," said Lily sadly.

Sirius looked at her, compassion in his grey eyes, "I know what you mean, Lily."

"Why did you like him in the first place? What does a Slytherin have that's so appealing?" asked James.

"Is the only reason you hate him that he's a Slytherin?" asked Lily.

"Pretty much," James didn't mention that he suspected Snape had a crush on Lily.

"Remember I sat with you ad Sirius on the first day on the train?" she asked. James nodded. "What did you two start talking about?"

"Quidditch," said Sirius.

"If Sirius had mentioned that his entire family had been in Slytherin right at the beginning, before you talked about other stuff and got to know each other, would you still have been best friends? If you'd talked about other things later and he'd ended up in Slytherin, would you still be as good friends as you are now?" asked Lily.

James paused in polishing the shield in his hands. He looked at Sirius who looked as expectant to hear the answer as Lily. "Yes. It wouldn't have mattered which house he was in as long as he was still the Sires he is today."

Sirius looked relieved and Lily smiled. "That's how it was with me and Snape. He was the one who recognized that I was a witch and introduced me to all this. He told me all about Hogwarts and frankly, I thought Slytherin was the best house until I came here. You don't really know what happens in Slytherin. The first two years, you can be all nice and sociable but then, the peer pressure gets to you and you're forced to believe in the Dark Arts whether you want to or not. You're brainwashed into believing that they're right and everyone else is wrong."

"I know how it is," said Sirius.

"I don't think even you'd have escaped their brainwashing if you were in Slytherin, Black," said Lily.

"I've survived the brainwashing of an entire family of Slytherins for sixteen years, Lily. I could've handled it," said Sirius. He added, "And I'd appreciate it if you stopped calling me 'Black'. I don't want to be associated with any of them."

"They're your family," said Lily.

"The only person I cared about was my brother and he's decided to join the Death Eater trainees. I'm not part of that family anymore," said Sirius. He looked thoroughly depressed. Lily got up and suddenly gave him a brief hug. Sirius was extremely surprised.

Lily returned to her seat and looked at him, "I only lost a friend, but you lost an entire family. I'm so sorry for being so insensitive."

"Hey, don't be sad. I'm living with James now. His family's pretty much adopted me," said Sirius.

Everyone looked really solemn. James tried to lighten the mood, "I can't believe you got her to hug you before I did," he said, looking at Sirius and feigning hurt.

"Admit it, I am the better looking guy," said Sirius, grinning back.

"I'm definitely not going to be the best man at your wedding when you get married to her.," said James.

"Don't worry. I don't plan on marrying either of you," said Lily, now smiling herself.

Sirius pulled the next shield out of its case. "Ah, finally the last shield. Hey James, look whose it is."

"Tom Riddle! At least this time you're just polishing it," said James, looking at the name.

"Why? What's so special about it?" asked Lily, curiously.

"Remember the green slime prank?" asked Sirius.

"You were lucky green's my favourite colour. I'd never have forgiven you for covering me with that slime otherwise," chuckled Lily.

"We spent detention cleaning this room. It took _hours_ to get the slime off Tom Riddle's shield. The year after that, we spent another detention here. Sirius had had too much for dinner. He threw up all over the shield," said James, grinning.

"Poor Tom Riddle. IF only he knew of the mishaps that befell his award. Ah, finally, we're done," said Sirius. He replaced the shield in its case.

"Fancy walking back with us Evans?" asked James holding out his arm.

Lily rolled her eyes, "I have to walk back with you, we're all going back to the same place. But I'm not getting close to either of you. You positively _reek _of polish."

"Well, isn't that obvious?" asked Sirius.

"You know, you should really try planning less messy pranks," said Lily.

"We should get an award for the largest number detentions or pranks, you know," said Sirius.

"No way, it'd be an extra shield to polish then. Did you regret supervising our detention, Evans?" asked James.

"Surprisingly, no. I actually had some fun. Why can't you two be this nice and sane all the time instead of putting on that 'cool' act?" she said.

Sirius shrugged, "Who said it's an act?" he said cryptically.

They reached the portrait hole and Lily walked in first. The students took one look at her and started sniggering. She sighed and rounded on the boys. "Right, what did you do?" she demanded. She caught sight of her reflection in a mirror over the fireplace. "Blue hair? Seriously? Change it back, Potter," she said.

James raised his wand and changed her hair back to red muttering, "Sirius did it."

"Some things never change do they?" Lily said exasperatedly. But as she walked up to her dorm, she couldn't help thinking that just as there was a side to Snape that James didn't know about, maybe there was a side to him that _she_ didn't know about too.

James and Sirius walked back to their dorm. Remus stopped them inside. He gave them a once-over and looked surprised. "No injuries at all? You didn't fight then? It's a miracle!" he said.

"There's no need to be so surprised, Moony," said James, flopping onto his bed.

"So you got through two hours of detention without fighting even once?" asked Peter.

"Yeah. She didn't seem very happy about supervising our detention at first, but by the end, she was smiling. I thought she was a real stickler for the rules. I guess she's okay after all," said Sirius.

"You were right, Remus. Maybe I should try this changing for the better thing," said James.

"I told you so," said Remus.

"You just have to say it don't you," grumbled James. But he was feeling more optimistic than he had for a while.

"**Why can't you get Rosalie to give me detention too? I could show her the real me if I had a couple of hours alone with her too," said James.**

"**You have the whole of Christmas holidays. Make the most of it," said Albus.**

"**Right, why don't you hear the rest of the story after lunch?" asked McGonagall.**

"**Ok, I'm starving!" said James. But he'd never been more interested in hearing a story than in lunch until then.**

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_Did you like it or hate it? Please review! Can I get at least five reviews again?_


	12. Chapter 12

_Ah finally! I'm updating on time! I hope you like this chapter. It's a little predictable and a little long, but don't let that put you off. _

_Thank you all for the reviews and story alerts! I really love reading all your reviews!_

_As always, the interruptions are in **bold**._

_Hope you enjoy it!_

_Disclaimer : I definitely do not own Harry Potter.  
_

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**James and Albus settled back into their chairs with their lunch and looked at McGonagall expectantly. **

"**I wish you'd listen to my classes with as much interest," she said smiling slightly.**

"**I do," said Albus.**

"_**He**_** doesn't. If only you could see the guilty thoughts running through his head right now, Minerva," said Snape, looking at James with an evil grin.**

"**Oh come on! Not the evil grin and the Legilimency again. Besides, I do listen in Professor McGonagall's class, it's not like I have a choice anyway," said James.**

"**He doesn't need to work all that hard. His grandfather's genes are coming out in him. He excels at Transfiguration, unlike you," said McGonagall glaring at James first and then at Snape.**

"**It was one incident and you make it sound like I can't transfigure a pin," grumbled Snape.**

"**That one incident happened to be what made you fail your Transfiguration OWL," chuckled Dumbledore.**

"**Whose side are you on?" demanded Snape.**

"**No one's. I'm just enjoying a quiet laugh at that memory. You were fortunate I was in the room at the time," said Dumbledore.**

"**What happened?" James and Albus asked together.**

"**His Transfiguration OWL was a disaster," said McGonagall. "Somewhere in the middle of the exam, he happened to see James. Severus was never good at Transfiguration but his exam had been going well enough to get him an A but then he saw James who was on his way to getting an O. Severus got distracted and so, instead of transfiguring his vase into a flamingo, he said the wrong spell and turned his examiner into a toad."**

**The boys burst into laughter. "It was the only OWL that I failed. And in my defense, that examiner was already pretty warty," said Snape.**

"**Severus' Transfiguration landed him in trouble during the exams but James' got him into trouble with Lily," said McGonagall. She began with the story.**

James continued to be nice to Lily for the next month. She too seemed to be happier with the new James. Sirius was also being very friendly with Alison. Because of his reputation as the heart-breaker of Hogwarts, however, Alice and Mary were keeping a close eye on him.

Just before Halloween, there was a Hogsmeade weekend. Lily had a date- a very handsome Ravenclaw from her Ancient Runes class named Steve Robins. James was unaware of this until Sirius came bursting into the dormitory with the news.

"James! Did you know that Lily has a date for this Hogsmeade weekend?" he yelled.

"What? Who is it?" demanded James.

"It's that Ravenclaw Keeper, Steve Robins."

"_That_ guy? We should keep an eye on them," said James.

"Don't even think about it," said Remus. He'd been reading but now he looked up. "Lily's just beginning to like you. Do you really want to ruin it?"

"Aw, come on Moony, girls don't want men to be just sensitive. They need to be strong. Besides girls like guys getting jealous," said Sirius.

"That's only when they actually _like_ the guy who's getting jealous. Last time I checked, James and Lily weren't even friends. Besides, do we need a repeat of the shouting matches they have every time James stalks her on a date?" replied Remus.

"I like being the good guy, Remus. It feels like I'm finally being myself. But I want to impress Lily for which I also need to be bad once in a while. I won't do something crazy; I'll just make sure she's safe on her date. And I hate to admit it, but Sirius _does_ have more experience with girls than you do," said James.

Remus snorted, "The only experience Sirius has with girls is snogging them and then dumping them. It's why he gets so flustered around Alison Hayes because he knows she won't stand for being snogged and dumped. He needs to clean up his act more than you do. When you're serious enough about Lily to listen to me, I'll be happy to help."

"He can't be serious, I'm Sirius," said Sirius suddenly.

"Sirius!" yelled Remus and James throwing their pillows at him.

"It's okay, Moony. Hogsmeade weekend will be fine," said James, confidently.

Remus sighed, "It's your funeral." Maybe he could convince Lily over the week to not go to Hogsmeade on Saturday…

-X-X-X-X-

_Monday_:

"Psst…Hey Lily," hissed Remus in Arithmancy.

Lily turned to him, "What?"

"Are you going to Hogsmeade this weekend?"

"Yeah."

"Well don't," said Remus.

"Why not?"

"They're enacting the 'Pied Piper of Hamlin,' there'll be rats everywhere," said Remus.

"What?" said Lily, loudly.

Everyone turned to look at her.

Professor Vector raised an eyebrow, "Would you like to share the shocking news, Miss Evans?"

"Oh, um, Remus was just telling me how you can replace epsilon by pi in Wulfric the Wise's equation which would make it similar to the mathematical from of Darius' Law of Magical Energy and a whole lot easier to understand," said Lily quickly.

Everyone stared at her like she'd spoken Greek and Latin.

Professor Vector smiled, "I do like my students discussing new theories, but I'm afraid it'll have to wait till after the class, Miss Evans, Mr. Lupin," she said.

"Yes Professor," they both said.

After the teacher had turned back to the board, Lily turned to Remus again. "Are you sure about the rats?"

"I think you're confused Remus, the play they're enacting is 'Babbity Rabbity's Cackling Stump'" said Alison.

"Oh I've always wanted to see that. I'm definitely going to Hogsmeade, then," said Lily.

_Tuesday_:

"Lily, you really shouldn't go to Hogsmeade," said Remus.

"Why not?"

"Er, there's supposed to be a freak snowstorm."

Lily raised her eyebrows, "A snowstorm in October? I think I'll take the chance," she said and walked away.

_Wednesday_:

"Hey, Lily, I didn't really understand today's lesson. Could you go over it with me on Saturday?"said Remus just as they were walking out of Potions.

Before Lily could answer, Slughorn replied from behind them, "Why Mr. Lupin, I thought you did quite well in today's class. If you haven't completely understood the lesson, however, I'd be glad to help you this Saturday."

"Oh, err, thanks Professor, but I think I've got the gist of it," said Remus hurriedly.

"In Potions, just the gist of the lesson is not enough Mr. Lupin. I expect you in my office on Saturday morning," said Slughorn firmly.

_Great, _thought Remus, _now I can't even go to Hogsmeade myself and prevent James from doing something stupid._

_Thursday:_

Remus was getting desperate. He'd always come up with really convincing stories for the teachers whenever the Marauders needed to get out of trouble but now, he couldn't think of a decent story to keep Lily from going to Hogsmeade.

"Lily, did you hear about the disturbance at Honeydukes? What if Death Eaters are hiding in the shops?" he said during lunch.

"It was just a stray dog that broke into Honeydukes and caused all the panic Remus. Didn't you read the paper this morning?" asked Mary.

Remus cursed silently. He was running out of ideas.

_Friday:_

"Hey Lily-"

"Remus, if this is another daft story about why I shouldn't go to Hogsmeade tomorrow, give up," said Lily.

"Oh. You realized what I was trying to do," said Remus.

"I didn't get my good grades in the OWLs without a decent brain," she replied.

"Is there any point in me telling you not to go to Hogsmeade?"

"No."

Remus sighed. "Good luck, then."

-X-X-X-

Saturday dawned, sunny and just pleasantly cold. Lily found Steve waiting for her outside the Great Hall.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey. You look really lovely," said Steve, smiling at her.

"Lovely? She looks positively breathtaking! Sirius have you written down the first point on our list?" said James, from behind a pillar.

"Mate, I don't think Lily's even going to _look_ at your 'Reasons not to date Steve Robins' list," said Sirius.

"She will. She's going to realize how wrong he is for her soon," said James.

"Why did I agree to tail them with you? And why are we hiding behind pillars instead of just using the Invisibility Cloak?" asked Sirius.

"Peter's on standby with the cloak at Location 001. Are you ready Agent Padfoot?" said James.

Sirius sighed and shook his head, "And he tells _me_ I watch too many muggle movies," he muttered.

"Come on Sirius, they're leaving," said James.

"If they go into Madam Puddifoot's, I'm _not_ following them in with _you_," said Sirius as they set off behind a happily oblivious Lily and Steve.

Lily was actually enjoying herself. She and Steve had many common interests and he was nice, not full of himself like Potter. She wondered briefly why she was even comparing him to Potter when he was clearly no standard. She shrugged and pushed the thought away.

"How about we get some chocolate?" asked Steve.

"Okay," said Lily. They walked into Honeydukes, which was filled with students as usual.

Steve held her hand, "Don't get lost now," he said smiling.

She grinned back, "You'll need that hand to grab as much chocolate as you can. I know you like chocolate as much as I do."

"Between you and chocolate, I definitely like you more," he said. Lily blushed slightly, but looked pleased.

"She's blushing! They're holding hands! How can she like that guy's lame cheesy lines and not mine?" said James, sounding anguished.

Sirius paused in biting the head off a chocolate frog, "They're on a date, Prongs. It's what you _do_ on a date. I'm sure it's not an alien concept to you."

"Oh, shut up," grumbled James. "Let's go over to them."

He walked over, with Sirius following warily in case Lily decided to hex them. "Evans! What a pleasant surprise," said James.

Lily groaned, but at Steve's 'be polite' look, she turned around, "Potter," she said curtly.

"So…you're on a date?" he asked.

"Yes," she said pointedly.

"Ok," said James. Everyone fell silent, not knowing what to say.

Unable to stand the awkward silence, Steve grabbed Lily's hand, "I think we've got enough chocolate, why don't we go? It was nice meeting you two here. Bye." He and Lily exited the store quickly.

"Come on," said James, looking at Sirius.

"But James, I was just getting started," whined Sirius, looking longingly at all the chocolate.

"You can sneak in here whenever you want to. Hurry up," said James.

"If this is how you treat all the girls on your dates, no wonder they broke up with you," grumbled Sirius, following him.

That was how the afternoon went. James and Sirius 'accidentally' bumped into Lily and Steve all day. They ran into each other in Scrivenshaft's, Zonko's and even Gladrags. Finally Lily managed to shake them off. "Let's go to the Three Broomsticks, we'll be able to lose them in the crowd," said Lily.

"Isn't it funny how we keep running into them? It's almost as if they're following us," said Steve as they sat down at a table, butterbeers in hand.

Lily looked at him incredulously. Over the day, her interest in Steve had begun to wane. She'd soon realized that he was not one of the smartest Ravenclaws around. Heck, he wasn't even one of the smartest students in school. In fact, the only subject he seemed to excel in was Ancient Runes. He'd been pretty boring, and she was actually waiting for the day to end. But, she had found him a nice, decent, sweet boy and was not entirely regretful about spending an entire day with him. She thought he would make a nice friend but she was definitely not interested in a relationship with him. She was only going to go along with the date for the day. she opened her mouth to answer him, when-

"Lily!"

She looked around and sighed in relief. Alice, Mary and Alison walked up to her. "Hey, I'll be right back," she told Steve and joined her friends.

"So, how's the date going?" asked Alice.

"It's horrible! Steve is a nice guy, but he's absolutely unintelligent. And to make matters worse, James Potter has been following me around," she moaned.

"Well I did tell you that guy is all looks and little brain," said Alison.

"Why's Potter following you?" asked Mary.

"Same reason as always, I guess. He deems my date 'wrong' for me," said Lily.

"Oh, look, here he is now," said Mary, looking at the door.

"Okay, if I accidentally kill him, do visit me in Azkaban," said Lily.

She joined Steve again just as James called, "Lily! Fancy seeing _you_ again. You're not following me are you?" He and Sirius slid into seats beside Lily and Steve. "How's your date going?" asked James.

"It's wonderful. How's _your_ date with Sirius going?" said Lily.

"He's not my date! We're just bonding as brothers over butterbeer," said Sirius immediately.

Lily drained the last of her butterbeer. "Well, it's getting late. Shall we head back Steve?" she said. He nodded and got up. Lily threw James a look that said 'I-know-what-you're-up-to' and left.

"She's on to us Prongs. Let's get out of here," said Sirius.

James wasn't listening. He strode off behind them with Sirius walking along helplessly. James watched with growing frustration as Steve put his arm around Lily. He got closer so he could hear their conversation. Steve was saying something about monsters and Lily was laughing. She suddenly shivered and cuddled closer to Steve.

"That's it," said James pulling out his wand.

"No, James! She'll never forgive you for this," said Sirius. James just raised his wand.

Lily smiled at Steve as he described the monster in the funny movie he'd seen. He was a muggleborn too. "It had a funny round face, all covered with blue fur and two tiny horns. But it had this really funny red nose too," he was saying.

Lily suddenly frowned, "Are you feeling cold Steve? You seem a little blue in the face."

"Really? I feel fine," he said.

Lily watched in horror as blue hair grew on his face and in seconds he looked as funny as the monster he'd just described. But Lily was not finding it funny. She was growing angrier by the minute and suddenly, Steve saw his reflection in one of the shop windows.

"Arrghhhh! What's happened to my face?" he screamed.

Lily whirled round and screamed, "POTTER!" James was too slow in pocketing his wand.

She marched up to him, "What on earth do you think you're doing?" she demanded.

"Come on Lily. He's boring. He just described a funny monster of all things. I even have a list of his negative points. He's just not right for you," said James.

"It's not your job to decide who's good for me Potter. You think you're my perfect guy? You're the exact opposite. You're a jerk. Change his face back," she shouted.

"Fine," said James, also getting angry. He waved his wand, "There you go."

"Come on Steve, let's go," said Lily.

"Er, actually Lily, I'll just head back to the castle myself," said Steve. He took one, slightly frightened look at James and pretty much ran back to the castle.

_Now_ Lily was enraged. She rounded on James, "You arrogant, self—centered, annoying prat. You always ruin my dates. You claim you want me to be happy but you never notice that I am happy when I'm on a date until you show up," she yelled.

"Hey at least the first person I came to Hogsmeade with wasn't Severus Snape, a potential Death Eater," James yelled back.

"You're as bad as he is! You think you're so much better than a Death Eater? They humiliate and bully people who they think are beneath them. Are you any different? You pick on younger students and Slytherins because you think you're better than them all. You're just an annoying hypocritical toe rag," she said and walked away, leaving a very stunned James and an astonished Sirius behind.

James finally walked back up to his dorm to find Remus waiting there. "I take it the date went badly?" he said.

"It was a disaster! Now, she hates me more than ever. I thought I was making progress over the last month," said James.

"Maybe you should think about what she said. When you're ready to talk, I'll be in the library," said Remus, leaving James and Sirius alone.

"**Okay, Lily was a little harsh," said Albus.**

"**At least it got Potter thinking," said Snape.**

"**James' love story wasn't the only one going downhill. That day had more drama than the whole year put together," said McGonagall.**

That night, Sirius awoke with a gasp. He looked around and sighed in relief when he realized he'd been dreaming. He'd been having nightmares for a few weeks now. He looked at his alarm clock and smiled. Remus had given it to him on his twelfth birthday in the hope that Sirius would use the alarm. It was two in the morning. He just wasn't feeling very sleepy now, so he put on a dressing gown and padded down to the common room. The fire was still burning and he could make out the silhouette of a person sitting on the couch in front of the fire. He moved closer.

"Alison?" he said, surprised.

She jumped violently, "Sirius! Don't scare me like that," she said.

"What're you doing here at this hour?" he asked.

"Couldn't sleep. You?"

"Same here," he sighed. He sat down beside her. Alison was trying to breathe normally and forget that she had a crush on him.

"Why couldn't you sleep?" he asked.

"I woke up from a really weird dream and I couldn't get back to sleep," she said.

"What was It about?" he asked.

"It was really random. I was climbing up the beech tree by the lake but it was in the middle of an airport and then I lost my balance and fell. That's when I woke up."

"Okay, that's weird."

"I told you so. Why couldn't you sleep?"

"Nightmare," said Sirius, shortly.

"Oh. Do you want to tell me about it?" asked Alison, concerned.

"It was about Regulus."

"About the night you ran away?"

Sirius picked at the cushions for a few moments. "I hated them all so much that I think I gave all the love I was supposed to have for my family, entirely to Regulus," he said slowly. "Running away was one of the hardest things I've done."

Alison remained silent. She understood that Sirius needed to talk about this.

He continued, "When he told me he was joining the Death Eaters, I knew I couldn't love him anymore. But Lily was right. It's not easy to forget someone you cared about so much. When I walked out the door, I kept hoping I'd hear Regulus calling after me and calling me back because he needed me. I was foolish to hope for it. It's just that I keep feeling that if I'd turned back that day, I could've made him see sense."

Alison took his hand and looked him in the eye, "Sirius, it isn't your fault. You tried to keep Regulus away from the Dark side, but even with all your efforts, he chose that side. You showed him that he had a choice and he made the one he believed to be right. If you hadn't walked out that night, Regulus would have taken it as a sign of your approval of his choice. By leaving, you showed him that you didn't approve. Somewhere, inside him, everything you've taught him to be right is still there. Maybe in a few years, he'll realize he's made the wrong choice. The moment he realizes it, he'll let you know somehow and Professor Dumbledore will be ready to help him take a second chance at life. He's growing up, Sirius. You need to let him see the world thought his own eyes, not yours or your parents."

Sirius looked at her, respect, admiration and something more in his grey eyes. He leaned over and hugged her tightly. "Thank you," he said, breaking away.

"Anytime you need to talk, I'll be there. All your friends will be there. You shouldn't keep things bottled up. It always helps to talk about it," she said smiling.

"I'll go up to bed now. I thinks I can sleep much better," he said.

"Me too," she said, standing up.

"don't worry, if you fall off the tree again, I'll be there to catch you," he said grinning.

She smiled and walked back to her dorm. As she got into bed, she resolved to ask him out in the morning.

Sirius got back into bed. He really liked Alison, but he was too scared of getting rejected by her. For some reason, he felt she only thought of him as a friend and her rejection would hurt him. He was known to not be a one girl kind of guy and she was one of the kindest people he knew. He was too afraid of letting her down to ask her out.

"**They are one confused lot," said James.**

"**I agree! James likes Lily but she hates him. Sirius and Alison like each other but don't know it. Mary and Remus are too shy to ask each other out. What a bunch of confused teenagers," said Albus. **

**James looked insulted, "You wait. Next year, you'll be a confused teenager too. But it is so much fun."**

**McGonagall continued with the story.**

Mary and Alice had to drag Lily and Alison down to breakfast. Lily was still angry with James about ruining her date. Alison was nervous about asking Sirius out. When they went down however, they were in for a shock.

The girls pushed Alison in first. She looked around for a moment and then froze.

"Alison, what's wrong?" asked Lily. She walked in and froze too.

Alice and Mary waked in to see what they were staring at. Mary's jaw dropped and Alice gasped.

Sirius was snogging a dark-haired girl like there was no tomorrow.

Alison stared at him and suddenly, he looked up. His eyes met hers and he looked guiltily away. Alison ran out of the hall with her friends following her. They found her in the dormitory, crying her eyes out.

Lily put her arms around Alison, "Don't cry honey, he's not worth it."

"But I liked him so much and I thought he liked me too," she sobbed.

Alice and Mary hugged her too. "He's hurt you Alison. You shouldn't just take it lying down. It's time for some payback," said Alice.

Lily grinned, "I think it's time to give the Marauders a taste of their own medicine."

Alison wiped away her tears fiercely, "I'm in."

"It has to be something big, a prank even they wouldn't have thought of," said Alice.

A slow smile spread across Mary's face, "I think I have an idea."

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_So did you like it? Any constructive criticism? Please let me know with a review. Oh, and I'd also love to have some ideas for the girls' prank, because, honestly, I have no idea what it's going to be. I just typed that last line of the story because it sounded good...Do review and help me out!_


	13. AUTHOR'S NOTE

**Hello!**

**I am really sorry about not having updated for a while now! I have a few important exams coming up, so the next chapter won't be up at least for a month. After that, my workload will get much lighter, so I'll update at least twice a week then to catch up and I'll be able to update regularly from then. I'm still looking for ideas for the girls' prank and would really appreciate any ideas you might have! I've got a few good ideas but I'm still on the lookout. **

**Really sorry about not being able to update!**


	14. Chapter 13

**THIS IS A REPOST OF CHAPTER 13!**

_Hey everyone! Remember me? I am finally done with exams and back to updating!_

_Thanks for all the reviews for the previous chapter! I really loved reading them all. _

_Thanks a lot to _JustinneXD _for all the great prank ideas. I really had no idea what to write till I read those ideas. I've used some of them in this chapter with a little modification. Thanks so much!_

_I'm really sorry about including almost no interruptions by James and Albus in this chapter. It was already quite long so I didn't want to add any. Coincidentally this happens to be the 13th chapter. I actually like the number 13...You'll know what I'm talking about when you read the chapter. **Since McGonagall is narrating the story, the parts where she comes in during the Marauders time is in first person.**  
_

_I really hope you like this chapter!_

_Please do review!_

_Disclaimer : I am not JK Rowling. Hence, I don't own HP._

_

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"The story of Friday the 13th is a strange one," began Mary in a low, mysterious voice. She was holding her wand under her chin and the light from it formed eerie shadows across her face. Gryffindor was having a "Scary Story Session". It had been two weeks since the girls had decided to prank the Marauders. The Session had been filled with the usual stories of zombies, vampires and other bloodthirsty creatures of the magical world. Mary was telling them the last story. IT was rather lame, but they had noticed that Sirius and James weren't too fond of scary stories and it was important that this should be the last one they heard before going to bed.

"There once lived a group of boys of our age who were very fond of pranking others. They were quite oblivious of other people's feelings and continued with their arrogant habits." Lily glanced sharply at Mary; she was making it a little obvious.

Alison took up the story, "One day, they went too far and hurt many people. Two young maidens were particularly angry. Unlike the others, they weren't afraid to take revenge on those cocky fools. They did not sleep or eat for seven days straight but devoted their time to summon the spirits of conscience. They set the spirits on the boys."

Alice continued, "The spirits had no particular name but they were collectively called Anti-Claus as they punished the bad boys just as Santa rewarded the good. On the 13th of that month, a Friday, nothing went right for the boys. They went around, inviting trouble. They insulted their friends and apologized to their enemies. Nothing went right that day."

Lily finished the story, "All day, they could hear the spirits whispering in their ears. They only left the boys alone at the stroke of midnight when the day had ended. Ever since then, Friday the 13th has been the day that wrongdoers are punished. And that's not all. Tomorrow is the 7000th time that they will seek out mischief makers and punish them by forcing them to listen to their conscience. And according to the legend, the spirits were summoned for the first time, right here at Hogwarts."

Everyone was quiet for a moment till Wilson Davies; a seventh year spoke, "That was lame," Everyone laughed.

"I agree with you, Davies," said James.

"What's the matter, James? You look a little shaken. Have _you_ made anyone miserable lately? Are you afraid that the Anti-Claus will come for _you_ tomorrow?" asked Mary, smiling.

"No!" said James quickly, "It's just a story."

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that," she said.

The Marauders – except Remus – looked slightly unnerved. The girls smiled as they entered their dormitory.

"Stage one, complete," said Lily.

**X-X-X**

The next day, Remus was awakened by a loud thump from his right. He stirred and looked around to see Peter on the ground and still snoring slightly. The room seemed brighter than usual. He looked around for his alarm clock.

"Oh Merlin!" he exclaimed, leaping out of bed. "James, Sirius, Peter, wake up! We're going to be late!"

"It's too early Remus, go back to sleep," mumbled Sirius.

"It's 8.15 you moron! We have fifteen minutes to get to Herbology."

"What?" exclaimed three boys together, sitting up immediately. They scrambled out of bed quickly. They made it down to Herbology only five minutes late. Sirius was moaning about the state of his hair. James was sweating like a pig and starting to smell like one too thanks to their mad dash from the dormitory to the greenhouses. They hadn't had breakfast either. Peter and Remus were looking disheveled and panting.

"Come on," said James, opening the door of the greenhouse.

"Sorry we're late Professor – UGH!" said Sirius. He'd stepped straight on a mimbulus mimbletonia.

"Sirius!" yelled James wiping his glasses to get rid of the Stinksap he and his friends were now covered in. He put his glasses back on to find a very astonished sixth-year class staring back at him. Then, everyone burst out laughing. Even Professor Sprout cracked a smile at the sight of the stinksap-covered boys.

"Who left the Mimbulus Mimbletonia there?" she asked.

"Sorry Professor, I thought I'd left it on the stool by the door," said Frank Longbottom, a Hufflepuff sixth year. Professor Sprout waved her wand and the Stinksap disappeared but the embarrassing memory was etched in everyone's heads. They were still smirking as the Marauders sat down.

The lesson continued without interruption except for the time Lily's bouncing Bulb bounced off and smacked James hard across the face. ("Come on Lily! Even your plants like to slap me," James had yelled.)

"Just one bulb? I'd have thought you'd release the entire tray," muttered Alison.

"Oh, I'm just getting warmed up. Wait till we get to transfiguration, Alice and I are unleashing our not-so-noteworthy Transfigurations skills on them," replied Lily.

"Not fair, I don't get to see that," pouted Alison.

"Don't worry, we'll be sure to get Sirius for you," said Alice.

The bell rang and the Gryffindors headed for Transfiguration. During the walk back to the castle, the Marauders tried to fix their uniforms before they got back to the castle.

"Today is not our day," sighed Remus.

"Everything's going wrong," grumbled James.

"I know – ouch! What's this?" said Sirius, unfolding the piece of paper that had hit him in the face.

"It's this month's calendar, just crumple it up," said James.

Peter gasped, "Look at the date. It's Friday the 13th today. Remember Mary's story? What if the Anti-Claus has come for us?"

"That's just a story. And Anti-Claus is a really dumb name," said James but he looked slightly disturbed.

"So you don't believe in me?" whispered a voice in his ear, just as a cool breeze swept across his neck.

"What was that?" he said jumping.

"What was what?" asked Sirius.

"Nothing, it must have been the wind," said James. HE looked quite distracted now.

Behind them, four girls were trying not to break into a giggling fit.

**X-X-X**

They managed to reach Transfiguration without incident. I was making them practice Vanishing Spells. All the students were struggling to Vanish their rats. Lily's rat only had its hind part left and Alice's rat was headless. James and Sirius had managed to Vanish their rats already and were talking at the back of the classroom.

"Do you remember that prank we pulled on Barney Stone last week?" asked James.

"Oh yeah, making his pants invisible served that Slytherin right," said Sirius.

"It's not as amusing when it's your turn to be humiliated though," chuckled a soft voice.

They both turned around, but there was only the wall behind them.

"It's probably just Peeves," said Sirius nervously.

"Hey Moony, did you hear anything?" asked James.

"No, I was too busy trying to Vanish my rat," said Remus. Peter wasn't in Transfiguration.

James and Sirius tried to sit still but the voice kept chuckling behind them, "Are you scared yet?"

Sirius finally cracked. "Get lost!" he yelled firing a jet of pink light at the wall. Unfortunately, it bounced off and headed straight for me. I deflected it easily.

"What's going on there? Potter, Black, sitting at the back of the room after you've finished is no excuse for you to disturb the others," I said sternly.

"Sorry, Professor. We thought we heard Peeves behind us," said James.

"Peeves is currently in the Astronomy Tower repositioning all the telescopes. Mr. Filch was on his way up there I believe. If you wish to hear imaginary voices, you may join Professor Morgan in Divination. But if you're going to attack walls as well, I'd rather have you here at the front. Come on, move up here," I said.

The boys had no choice but to obey. They took up seats right in front of Lily, Alice and Mary. I walked around the class, observing everyone's progress.

"Well done, Miss Andrews, Miss Evans. You're getting much better at Vanishing," I said, pleased to see that both girls only had their rats' tails left. I waited to see if they could finish Vanishing their rats completely. Just as the girls waved their wands, James and Sirius stood up suddenly. Everyone looked at them startled and the girls jerked their wands up, hitting the boys with their Vanishing spells.

The class roared with laughter as Sirius' and James' pants vanished revealing identical pairs of heart-patterned boxers.

Remus was shaking with laughter as was most of the class. Some of the girls actually whistled and even I couldn't help smiling. The boys, however, were as red as Lily's hair. They'd stood up because they felt as though they'd been jabbed with a pin and suddenly, their pants were gone. I restored order to the class and Conjured up their pants with a wave of my wand.

"As Miss Evans and Miss Andrews demonstrated, it is far easier to Vanish inanimate objects. And as Mr. Potter and Mr. Black demonstrated it is important not to distract people who are working complex spells. More practice for homework, you may go," I said just as the bell rang.

Alison met them on the stairs as they headed to the dungeons for Potions. "How'd it go?" she asked.

"Perfect," said Mary, "Who knew they wore identical, heart-patterned boxers? Did you get the Potion ready?"

"Yeah, we can slip it in at lunch. I managed to freak Pettigrew out with the voice too," said Alison.

"Good, let me get Remus to hear it too," said Mary.

Meanwhile, the Marauders were discussing the strange happenings of the morning too.

"See Remus, even Peter's heard the voice. It's got to be that Anti-Claus thing. And don't say spirits don't exist, we've seen enough ghosts round this place," said Sirius.

"It's just coincidence. Maybe you all ate too much for dinner yesterday," said Remus.

"Come on, Moony. This can't be coincidence. We've been embarrassed twice, we were late to class, and nothing's going right. It's exactly like Mary's story," said James.

"Okay, if that were true, why can't I hear the voice too? I'm as much a Marauder as you are," said Remus.

"Maybe it's because you haven't been as bad as us," said Peter.

No sooner had he said that than a voice said softly, "So you finally came to the right conclusion. Don't worry Remus, I haven't forgotten you."

"See," hissed Sirius, "it's him."

"Guys," said Remus, "I think we're about to atone for our sins."

The Marauders gulped.

**X-X-X**

Slughorn decided to do something "fun" for their class that day.

"Cosmetic Potion," he said. "I'm sure the girls will enjoy this class and the boys will end up with something to give their girlfriends for Christmas. Be careful though buys, she may interpret it as a criticism of her looks. Don't want to get hexed now, do we?" he said jovially.

Some of the boys laughed nervously. Most of the Slytherins just wrinkled their noses.

"Choose one product that you wish to make. Instructions are in the book and ingredients are in the cupboard. Be careful though. Just as using makeup is a delicate art, making it is even tougher. Measurements and ingredients must be exact. Get started then," said Slughorn.

"Hmmm….looks like the Marauders are getting a makeover," said Mary.

"Why do we have to make Cosmetic Potions? I hate makeup," groaned Lily.

"You're making it because it counts for your exam. Besides, Alice will use it, she loves dressing up," replied Alison.

"Hey, there's nothing wrong in being a girl occasionally," said Alice.

"Okay, that's enough talking. Lily, you take care of our potions, we don't want _our_ cauldrons blowing up. Alison, overhear what the Marauders are brewing and report back," said Mary.

"Yes ma'am," said Lily and Alison.

"Okay, Remus and Peter will take care of the lipstick while Sirius and I will work on the hair dye," said James. The others nodded and started on their work. Twenty minutes into the lesson:

"Hey, where's the measuring cup?" asked Sirius. He and James checked under the table and straightened up again.

"It's right here idiot," said James pointing at the table.

"That's strange, I could have sworn it wasn't there a minute ago," said Sirius.

"Don't add that Peter. It'll turn the lipstick blue," said Remus suddenly grabbing Peter's hand.

"But I thought I had red dye in my hand," said Peter looking puzzled.

"You'd better take extra care of your Potions today," murmured the soft voice again. The boys shuddered. They had to concentrate harder now to avoid and more public humiliation. But, when Remus was checking the book, their potion mysteriously turned green. When Sirius and James were searching for the next ingredient, their scales grew just unnoticeably longer, not enough for them to notice but enough to upset their potion.

"Right, we've got to add exactly 5ml of armadillo bile," said James.

"Who knew makeup comprised of such ghastly ingredients," said Sirius. He measured out the bile and poured it in. Their potion suddenly turned a garish shade of pink and the cauldron began rocking violently.

"What's wrong, Mr. Potter?" asked Slughorn from his desk.

The cauldron was rocking harder now. "Oh Merlin, she's going to blow!" yelled Sirius. Everyone dived under their tables just as the cauldron exploded, causing other cauldrons around it to explode too. Most of the students were lucky enough to avoid getting splashed, but the Marauders were completely drenched in a cocktail of potions. Everyone emerged from under their tables.

"Is everyone all right? Anybody hurt?" asked Slughorn, crawling out from under his own desk. A few people had splotches of dye in their hair or blush on their faces where they'd been hit. The Marauders however, were a completely amusing sight. Sirius had neon pink hair. Remus had blush and green lipstick. Peter's hair had glittery green patches and his eyes were lined with so much mascara, that he looked like a vampire. James' eyes had glittery blue eye shadow on them and his hair was a very violent shade of purple. His nails were bright red.

The Slytherins fell over each other laughing. The Gryffindors weren't' much better. They'd stop laughing, point at the Marauders, and burst into laughter again. Slughorn was trying in vain to regain control of the class. He finally managed it a few minutes before the bell. He assured whoever had been splashed that the effects wouldn't be permanent since no one had completed their potions and the colors would fade by the end of lunchtime. The girls were chortling as they passed the Marauders on their way to the Great Hall.

"That was amazing. It looks so much better than I thought it would," said Lily.

"I know! It's a good thing Slughorn decided to do Cosmetic Potions today," said Alice.

"Ready to slip the Potion into their pumpkin juice?" asked Alison. They nodded. Just then, Snape walked past.

"So that's why you were waving your wand under the table? To make sure he got a faceful of potion?" said Mary, looking at Lily.

"Well I never really took my revenge on him. This was the best opportunity," said Lily, not looking particularly apologetic.

"Wow, his lips are so red, it looks like he borrowed Snow White's lipstick," said Alison, grinning at Snape's face.

Meanwhile, the Marauders were debating on whether or not to go to lunch.

"I can't be seen like this. Look at my hair. My poor, beautiful hair!" wailed Sirius.

"Stop being so dramatic, look at _my_ hair," snapped James.

"I'm hungry," said Peter.

"We could always go to the kitchens," said Remus.

"No way. McGonagall almost caught us last time. She'll have a lookout there," said James, "If only I'd brought the Invisibility Cloak with me."

Sirius sighed, "I never thought I'd say this, but I really don't want to go to lunch."

Lunch was not a pleasant affair that day for them. With everyone coming over to make fun of them and laughing, the girls found it quite easy to slip in the potion that would make the Marauders' afternoon even worse.

"Are the magical bugs working fine?" asked Lily, "It would be a pity if the creepy voice didn't work out now."

Alison checked the small walkie-talkie-like device in her hand. "It's fine," she said, "Oh, not again."

The girls looked around to see the same brunette that Sirius had been snogging a couple of weeks ago. She squeezed in between Sirius and Remus with a sickly sweet smile. He smiled back at her and started talking to her.

"Oh, I would _really_ love to see that potion in action now," muttered Alison.

Right on cue, Sirius said, "Your breath stinks."

The brunette drew back, "Excuse me?"

"Your hair smells even worse."

"What? I just washed it this morning."

"With what? Hippogriff dung?" said Sirius, clapping a hand to his mouth immediately. Somehow, he couldn't stop the words.

"That's it. You're a jerk and if you were hoping for a break up, you've got it. That might be your idea of how to break up with a girl but let me show you mine!" screamed the girl. She slapped him hard and walked away.

James stared at Sirius incredulously, "What's up with you?"

"I don't know. It just came over me. Maybe I'm allergic to one of the Potions ingredients," said Sirius.

"No, you're not. It's just me again," whispered the voice.

"Oh, not you again," moaned James.

"That's right. You're going to be insulting your friends and apologizing to your enemies all evening," said the voice.

The boys groaned.

**X-X-X**

The afternoon progressed the same way. Sirius got slapped by about six more girls, Remus got detention for "being cheeky" in DADA. James got slapped by two girls and ended up losing about 30 points for making fun of Professor Flitwick. Peter nearly got himself attacked by four big Ravenclaws after he suggested that their house emblem should have been a chicken. The Marauders finally walked into the Great Hall for dinner. They looked at the Slytherins.

"No, please no," said Sirius as an overwhelming urge to apologize came over him.

"Oh yes," chuckled the voice.

All four boys suddenly went down on their knees and said together, "Oh dear Slytherins, we apologize for all our pranks. WE are so very sorry for humiliating you numerous times in public."

The silence in the Hall couldn't have been louder. Even Dumbledore seemed shocked.

"Curse you, Anti-Claus!" yelled Sirius looking at the ceiling. Everyone stared at him and burst out laughing.

"That was just a story," yelled someone. Just then, huge firecrackers lit up the Hall in red and gold. They formed a huge Santa Claus and spelled out the words, "MARAUDERS, YOU HAVE BEEN PRANKED!"

"A prank? This was all a prank?" stammered Remus.

"But who could have pulled this off? It was amazing," said James.

Dumbledore smiled, "Judging by the artistic nature of the fireworks, I'd say a girl was responsible. Would the young lady or ladies please stand up?"

Lily and her friends stood. They were Gryffindors after all.

"You did all this?" asked Sirius, stunned.

"Of course. And we only broke three rules," said Alison, smugly.

Dumbledore talked to me for a moment then turned to the girls, "This truly was a day Hogwarts will remember. You avoided detection by the teachers and the Marauders as they call themselves. I'm sure that many would agree that these boys have been getting a little out of line and we have decided not to punish you girls. I must say, I was quite impressed with your magic, especially the fact that you must have mixed a Demeaning Draught with a Penitent Potion without the two counteracting each other's effects."

"So that's why we've been doing this all afternoon?" asked James.

"Yeah," replied Mary.

"And the Anti-Claus' voice?" asked Peter.

"Magical bugs. Shake out your clothes tonight," said Alice grinning.

"All the other coincidences are because of us too," said Lily.

Dumbledore smiled at the boys who were quite astounded, as the girls walked back to Gryffindor table.

"They're intelligent," said Peter.

"No Peter," said Sirius, voicing the thoughts of James and Remus as well as they stared after the girls, "they're hot."

"**Okay, that was one successful prank," said Albus.**

"**I learnt two things today, and I'm very glad I didn't learn the second thing by personal experience," said James. "For one thing, I got quite a few new prank ideas."**

"**What's the second thing?" asked Albus.**

"'**Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.'"**

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_Please review! Let me know what you thought. Can I get at least__ five reviews again**?**_**  
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	15. Chapter 14

_Hey! Sorry about the late update again...I meant to put this up on Sunday..._

_Anyway, here's an extra long chapter to make up for it! This is the longest chapter so far!_

_Thanks so much for all the reviews. I enjoyed reading every one of them. Thanks a lot for all the story alerts and favourites too!_

_As always, the chapter is in McGonagall's perspective with the interruptions in **bold**. I' hope to put a lot more of those interruptions in the next chapter!_

_Enjoy and review!  
_

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James Potter looked out of the window. He was supposed to be researching antidotes in the library but he had settled right at the back with a novel in his hand and his eyes on the pretty redhead playing with the Giant Squid down by the lake.

"Boo!" said a voice behind him.

"I didn't know you knew where the library was, Sirius," said James, without turning around.

"Remus was shocked when I told him where I was going; he thought I didn't know the library even existed. Truth be told, I had no idea where this place was, the map comes in handy sometimes." Sirius looked around. "I can see why you like it in here. Apart from the fact that you can't be seen unless you want your reputation to take a nosedive, this is the perfect place for some peace and quiet…and for spying on Lily too," he said, following James' gaze. "Yes, she always had a thing for the water…and the Giant Squid too I suppose," he added.

"That's all I can do, isn't it? She won't let me within three feet of her, even to talk without suspecting me of something," sighed James.

Sirius sat down in front of him, "Why do you persist in chasing her? I mean, she's very likeable and all, but there are girls practically throwing themselves at you."

"I don't know. At first, I thought it was just a crush I'd grow out of. Then I thought it was for the thrill of the chase. But I would have stopped long ago if that were the case. I just wish I could really get to know everything about her," said James.

"You know," said Sirius, "All the advice I gave you probably backfired because Lily isn't like the hormonal girls I've dated. You're also not chasing after her just for the heck of it." He looked right into James' eyes, "My plans probably didn't work out because I have never been in love."

James looked startled, "You think I love her?"

"Don't you?"

James was silent. Sirius just patted him on the back and left.

"**That kind of reminds me of the time you avoided the Library like the plague," said Albus, grinning.**

"**Well it's true about the reputation! People would have thought I was a nerd," retorted James.**

"**But I've seen you go to the library often," said McGonagall, looking confused. "You were there researching for the Potions essay last week."**

"**Yeah, I discovered that I love reading after I went in there a couple of times," admitted James sheepishly.**

"**What did you do to make him go in?" asked Snape, looking impressed. "Potter never walked in when others were watching, he usually went under his Cloak although I could never prove it."**

"**Of course you couldn't prove it. That Cloak's amazing! I told him Rosalie went to the library very often," said Albus.**

"**Do you have the Cloak with you at Hogwarts?" asked McGonagall suspiciously.**

"**Er…it's already getting late Professor, why don't you finish this part of the story quickly?" said James, hurriedly changing the subject.**

"**Hmmm…" said McGonagall but she continued with the story.**

All day, James kept thinking about what Sirius had said. At night, he couldn't sleep. He lay tossing and turning and (predictably) thinking about Lily. Did he really love her? He didn't like her just because of her looks, he'd found her lovely even after she'd slipped and fallen face first into the mud during a thunderstorm. He liked the way she smiled and the how her laugh could brighten up a whole room. He liked the way her eyes sparkled when she found a new book. He liked the way she never let anyone tell her who she should be. He loved the way she stood up to people. He loved her willingness to stick up for any friend. He loved how she was ready to help anyone in trouble whether she knew them well or not. He loved her for who she was. She could always surprise him. He even loved how she was the only one who could really make him feel guilty on the rare occasions she spoke to him. He loved _her_. He loved…"Oh my gosh, I _love_ Lily Evans!" he shouted, sitting bolt upright in bed.

"Good for you, Prongs. Go get her mate," mumbled Sirius sleepily somewhere from his right.

James closed his eyes and smiled happily. He finally knew that he love Lily. Everything would work out.

"**You don't love Rosalie do you?" Albus asked James anxiously. **

"**No, of course not, I'm only 14. Not yet anyway," said James.**

"**Yeah, but grandpa was only a couple of years older," said Al.**

"**There are just some things you know, no matter how young you are. What's the longest crush you've ever had?" asked Dumbledore. **

"**Umm…a few weeks?" said Al.**

"**Exactly. James pursued Lily for four years. He wouldn't have done that if weren't in love," said Dumbledore.**

"**Take Severus for example," said McGonagall. "He was the same age as James. He was even younger when he started stalking Lily."**

"**You know, there are much politer words you could use instead of 'stalking'. 'Observing', for instance, or 'watching'," said Snape. **

"**So that's why he started cleaning up his act? Just for her?" asked Albus.**

"**That and another incident that happened at Christmas. He began with a talk with Alison Hayes," said McGonagall.**

James found Alison at the back of the library. She looked up as he approached. "A Marauder in the library. Will wonders ever cease?" she said, grinning.

He sat down beside her, "I wanted to ask you about Lily."

"Don't you know everything about her already? I heard you can write her biography."

"I'm serious, Alison. Why does she hate me?"

"Haven't you been listening when she yells at you? She thinks you're an arrogant bully. It's not so easy for muggleborns you know. You've never seen the dark side of the world. You've been brought up shielded from it all because your Dad's an Auror and he didn't want to taint your childhood. We face so many people who think they're better than us so they can treat us like dirt. I'm sure you don't have any such thoughts but Lily sees that idea reflected in you when you pick on the others. We've tried convincing her that's wrong, but the only way she'll believe it is if you change."

"I don't believe in that blood-status trash!" exclaimed James.

"No, but you're still pig-headed. Deflate that head of yours and then maybe, Lily will like you."

"I'll do it," said James.

"I know you will. But stop being so influenced by the status quo. Look at this meeting. You're so keen not to be spotted that we're sitting right at the back of this huge library. Just be yourself. All a girl wants is for a guy to be honest with her," said Alison.

James nodded determinedly. Alison knew immediately that James had more than just a schoolboy crush on her best friend. The problem would be convincing Lily of the idea of a nice James.

X-X-X

Lily couldn't believe her eyes. She'd raced up to the Charms corridor after she'd heard about a rather explosive fight between a couple of fourth years. What she saw however, was James Potter standing between two boys and making them apologise to each other. The boys smiled at him and he grinned back at the,.

"Hey Evans," he said, spotting her rooted to the spot.

"What are you doing?" she asked suspiciously.

"I was just passing by and nearly got my head blown off by one of their spells," he said, gesturing at the two boys who looked rather sheepish. "I didn't see any Prefects around so I thought I'd break up the fight."

"Wait, _you_ broke up a fight?" asked Lily surprised.

"Well I've decided to turn over a new leaf."

She glared at him suspiciously. "All right then. Off you go. And 30 points each from Hufflepuff," she added looking at the boys.

James winked at her, "Of course, now that you're here, I'll leave you to take care of the mess, shall I?"

He disappeared round the corner just as he heard Lily's indignant scream as she surveyed the damaged corridor for the first time, "POTTER!"

X-X-X

A few days later, Alison was walking up from Potions. Mulciber and Avery suddenly appeared and blocked her way.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't a little Mudblood," sneered Mulciber.

"Get out of my face, you stink," said Alison, reaching for her wand.

"It's your filthy blood that's the only smelly thing around here," snarled Mulciber.

"No wonder the dungeons smell, you lot live here after all," said a voice behind Alison. All of them looked around to find James and Sirius walking down the steps into to the dungeon.

"Blood traitors, you're a disgrace to purebloods," said Mulciber as Alison retreated towards the Gryffindors, her wand still drawn.

"Well you're a disgrace to the human species," smirked Sirius.

"If you'd rather associate with Mudbloods-" began Mulciber but James and Sirius cut him off.

"Don't you dare use that word!"

Alison looked at them, surprised. They hadn't drawn their wands at all. Sirius had his hand in his pocket. James' fists were clenched but he was still calm. They turned away with Alison between them and walked back up the stairs. They were only at the foot of the stairs when they heard Mulciber shout a curse and felt the heat at their backs. All three of them turned around even though they knew they wouldn't be able to deflect it in time, but the curse never hit them. A Shield Charm suddenly appeared in front of them.

"Detention, Mulciber, and 30 points from Slytherin," said Lily, walking down the stairs, wand outstretched, her face impassive but her eyes shining with anger. The others joined her at the middle of the staircase and glared at the Slytherins.

"Will you be there, Mudblood? I could think of hundreds of things I could do to you in detention," sneered Mulciber.

James' hand went straight to his wand but Lily caught it. He tensed for a moment, then relaxed though his fist remained clenched.

"You'll have detention with Professor McGonagall," replied Lily coldly. The four of them walked up the stairs.

Mulciber glared after them, "This isn't over, Gryffindors."

James rounded on Lily the minute they reached the Entrance Hall. "You should have hexed him."

"What would I have accomplished by that?" she asked, calmly.

"What did you accomplish now?" demanded James.

"His revenge will be delayed," she said.

"But you're sure it'll happen?" said James.

"Potter, you've been protected from this prejudice all these years. For the first time, you've seen how the world treats people like Alison and myself. It's time you grew up," said Lily. James looked taken aback. She continued, "But, I'll have to admit, you did a good job controlling your temper today. I hope this change will last." She smiled slightly and left with Alison.

"Don't you think you might have given the boy a bit of a heart attack by smiling at him?" asked Alison, grinning.

Lily smiled back briefly, but looked at her friend anxiously, "Are you alright? They didn't hurt you did they?"

"No, Potter and Sirius saved the day," said Alison.

They entered their dormitory. Alice and Mary looked up as they came in. "Are you two okay? You look really pale," said Mary, concerned.

"We're fine, we just had a run-in with a couple of Slytherins," said Lily.

"We're unharmed thanks to James and Sirius. We're just a little shaken up," said Alison.

"James and Sirius helped? I guess the Slytherins are in the hospital wing now," said Mary.

"No, actually. Neither of the Marauders drew their wands," said Alison.

"That's a first," said Alice, raising her eyebrows.

"No, it's not," said Lily suddenly, "Potter's been helping students a lot these past few weeks. He's still participated in a couple of pranks but they weren't dangerous or demeaning. He hasn't hexed random people at all. It's like he's making an effort to change. He's become a lot more…mature."

"Well isn't hat what you've always wanted? And we all know that Potter's arrogance was only a façade. He's growing up," said Alice.

"What if _this_ is the façade?" asked Lily.

"I don't think so. It seems to be that James Potter is finally being himself. He's not given up pranks but he's not mean any more. He's changing because he wants to," said Mary.

"Anyway, why does it bother you so much Lils? Afraid that you'll have to admit you were wrong about him and go out with him now?" grinned Alison.

"Oh, shut up!" said Lily, throwing a pillow at her as the other two laughed. But, even as the pillow left her hand, Lily thought, "Why does it matter to me if Potter's changing?"

X-X-X

Over the next month, James seemed to have turned over a new leaf. He still had the twinkle in his eyes but he acted much more mature. Even the teachers agreed that he seemed to have become a lot better. He was in no way a completely goody-goody person. He still played some outrageous pranks and hexed people, but he seemed to have toned it down. Even Lily had to admit that he was a much nicer person now. She had even come to speaking terms with him and found that she quite enjoyed their conversations, short though they were. James seemed to sense that and slowly, he built up the confidence to ask her out again.

He found her alone one December evening, just before the holidays, sitting at the foot of a pillar in the courtyard. "Hey Evans, can I talk to you for a second?"

She looked up at him, her bright green eyes noting the unusual seriousness in his face. "Yeah, what's wrong Potter?"

"I've been thinking a bit," he started.

"It seems that you've been thinking a lot really. You've changed, and for the better too."

"I did it for you," he blurted.

The smile slid off her face and she looked wary.

"Evans, I really, really, really like you. Please, go out with me," he said, none of the usual cockiness in his voice. He sounded like a normal teenager, scared that Lily might say no.

"Potter," said Lily, slowly, "I can't go out with you."

"Why not?" he asked. He looked sad.

"You changed for me. What if you stopped liking me or if I said yes, you decided that was that and you went back to being your old self? You saw those Slytherins that day. I couldn't bear it if you became a bully again."

"Lily, I swear I won't change back. Please, please go out with me," said James. He looked devastated. He took her face in his hands and forced her to meet his eyes. "Please," he whispered. Lily's heart skipped a beat as she looked into the hazel eyes that she'd been avoiding. They were full of an intense emotion that she hadn't seen before but also full of pain.

She shook her head, "I'm sorry. I…I can't," she said. She averted her eyes which were tearing up. She couldn't bear to see the pain that she was causing James. She still didn't know him well and she was afraid. But more that that, she was afraid of the hold she seemed to have over him and what he might do if he decided that he didn't want her to have that much power over him. She hated that she was causing him so much anguish. "I'm sorry," she whispered again, gathered her things and ran, leaving a devastated James, alone, in the cold winter snow.

"**Poor James," said Albus. "That must have really hurt him."**

"**Why did he think she'd say yes? She'd only appreciated the change. Why didn't he wait to get to know her better?" asked James.**

"**He was in love," said Dumbledore, simply.**

"**Yeah, but so was **_**he**_** and he never said anything," said James, gesturing at Snape's portrait.**

"**I was scared, I thought I'd freak her out," admitted Snape.**

"**So you just stood on the sidelines and never tried to stop James?" asked Albus.**

"**Snape nodded rather sheepishly.**

"**He was also afraid of his classmates," said McGonagall, "Announcing your love for a muggleborn isn't the wisest thing to do in Slytherin."**

**The boys nodded. The Slytherins were much nicer now, but they'd heard from their dad how it used to be in that house. **

"**Why's Lily so scared anyway?" asked Albus.**

"**Way back in their third year, she happened to see James hexing a second year boy who had crashed into him in the corridor. Though James had no idea, the boy happened to be a muggleborn. Lily was young, she had no idea that James wasn't targeting anyone on purpose and that memory just stayed in her head. He followed it up with more humiliation and hexing of the Slytherins and being a bully overall. That's what scared her. She got over it though, once they became friends. That only happened after the incident that transformed James," said McGonagall. She went on…**

James walked back up to the dormitory an hour later. Sirius was in there, doing some last minute packing.

"Hey I've been looking all over for you. Have you seen my snitch-patterned socks?" he asked, as James closed the door. Sirius looked up when James didn't answer. "What's wrong?" he asked.

James just sat on his bed, looking lost. Sirius sat beside him, "Girl trouble?" he asked.

James nodded. "Did you ask Lily out again?" Another nod.

"She said no?" asked Sirius, gently. James suddenly poured out everything she'd said. He was actually crying by the time she was done. It was the only time Sirius had ever seen him cry. "I love her Sirius, and she turned me down," he sobbed.

Sirius hugged his best friend suddenly. He had never seen James so vulnerable but he couldn't stay mad at Lily for reducing James to such a state because he knew that she was truly afraid that James being a pureblood, might treat her like the otters.

"You just rushed into this, mate. Give her time to get to know you and you get to know her too. Become friends. Go out with other girls and see if you still like her. You haven't seen the way muggleborns are treated in the world. She has a right to feel the way she does. Just…just give her some time to get to know you, okay?" said Sirius, softly.

James nodded. "You're right. I'll try to date other girls after Christmas, I'll leave her alone a bit," he said.

Sirius patted him on the back. "Come on, finish packing them. At least Mum will be waiting for you with all her love." James gave him a friendly punch. Things could go back to normal.

X-X-X

James was unusually quiet during the holidays. He had carefully avoided Lily, and she had done the same at the station – something that had not gone unnoticed by his Mum. She was worried about him. Usually, James was exceptionally boisterous around Christmas. But, this year, he'd only managed a weak smile when he'd opened his presents. Teresa Potter was not one to let her son get down in the blues during Christmas. She suspected it to be girl trouble and her suspicions were confirmed when she spoke to Sirius about it.

A week before the boys left for Hogwarts again, she sat her husband down in the middle of the kitchen.

"Am I in trouble?" asked Richard Potter immediately. His wife's stern expression reminded him of the times she'd lectured him as a Prefect when they'd been at Hogwarts. Though she was much older now, he still got lost in her eyes sometimes.

"Stop that!" she snapped.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"Stop getting lost in my eyes and focus. James has girl trouble," she said.

"From what he's told us, Lily Evans is as feisty as you. Of course he's having trouble. How many times did _you_ slap me before we got together?" said Mr. Potter.

"No, Richard. It's more serious than that from what Sirius told me," said Teresa. She narrated the whole story to her husband. "It's time he saw the world. The poor boy's beating himself up over it. He thinks there's some fault of his that Lily's scared of."

Richard sighed, "I'll have to take him to work with me then. We probably should have made it clearer why we don't support that pureblood nonsense instead of trying to protect him from reality." He was not looking forward to taking his son to work. He hated the responsibility parenting brought sometimes, after all his efforts to shield his son from the dangers of the world, there always came a time when he would have to see it.

The next day, Richard Potter rushed out of his room, dressed in his Auror's uniform and beckoned to James.

"What is it, Dad?" asked James.

"I'm taking you to work today. Two muggleborns have been captured by Death Eaters. We need to rescue them. You want to be an Auror, it's time you learned what the job takes. Sirius, you're coming too."

Sirius jumped up from the couch and nodded. They Flooed to the Ministry where the Aurors held a quick strategy meeting. None of them questioned the boys' presence. James' father was a strong Auror and the boys were almost of age anyway.

"Right, I'll be on the roof with Joseph, Andrews and the boys. We'll get them if they try to escape and do a full scan of the building and defences. Then, teams 2 and 3 can surround the building. Team 4 will surprise them and we'll get them from above. Anyone spot any flaws in the plan?" said Richard.

Everyone shook their head.

"Right, let's head out. Boys, attach yourselves to an Auror and _never_ pocket your wands. On the count of three – one, two, three!" The Aurors turned on the spot and disappeared.

James and Sirius found themselves on the roof of an old warehouse.

"Joseph, Andrews, scan the place. I'll keep an eye on them," whispered Richard, edging towards a broken skylight. The Aurors nodded and left while the boys followed James' dad and looked into the warehouse. What they saw nearly made them sick on the spot. A boy and a girl, probably brother and sister were tied up in a corner. Standing over them, her wand raised, was Sirius' cousin, Bellatrix. With her, were four other Death Eaters.

"Please, let us go. We didn't do anything," pleaded the girl. She was barely older than twenty.

One of the Death Eaters cackled, "You don't have to do anything dearie. Your very existence is your crime."

James' skin crawled. It was very similar to what he'd told Snape during the underpants incident.

"Let us fight, you bunch of cowards. We'll show you how strong we are," snarled the boy. The Death Eaters only laughed.

"How can they do something like this? Those poor people are outnumbered and unarmed. Why can't they pick on someone their own size?" hissed Sirius.

"It's what they do for entertainment. They humiliate, torture and kill people that they consider to be inferior to them," said Richard.

James was squirming uncomfortably. He'd obviously not been as bad but he too had picked on students whom he had considered not to be on the same level as him. He felt sickened now. He closed his eyes as Bellatrix used the Cruciatus Curse on the two muggleborns, but he couldn't block out the screams. Beside him, Sirius was shaking with anger. Both the boys were on the point of charging straight in through the skylight when the other two Aurors returned. Immediately, James' dad pulled out a two-way mirror and gave an order, "It's clear! Go!"

The boys watched as eight Aurors quietly surrounded the building. Four more ran right into the building through the window. The startled Death Eaters abandoned their victims and ran straight into the circle of Aurors.

"Stay where you are!" shouted an Auror.

Bellatrix laughed, "The Dark Lord will prevail!" she shouted and waved her wand before the Aurors could attack. A huge dust cloud engulfed them and the Death Eaters disappeared. The Aurors rushed forwards but the Death Eaters were gone. Richard Potter kicked the door in anger. "They escaped! Again!"

"Sir, we need to get the muggleborns to a hospital right away," said the Auror, Andrews.

Richard nodded and went in with James and Sirius. The woman was shaking violently and the man was unconscious. Another Auror was standing over them, comforting the girl gently, "It's okay, you're safe now. You'll be fine."

"We'll never be fine, they'll never leave us alone. All we were doing was Christmas shopping when they just came out of nowhere and grabbed us. They killed the poor cashier at the store," sobbed the woman, "We never did anything to provoke them. What sort of animals are they? How can they treat us this way just because they believe us to be inferior because of our birth?" she screamed hysterically.

The Auror took her hand firmly, "I'm a pureblood," she said, "I came to help you. Don't worry, in the end, they'll find that there is no way they can win this war."

X-X-X

Teresa Potter heaved a huge sigh of relief as the three men in her life walked in, "Thank goodness you're safe!" she said, hugging each of them.

"Are you alright?" she asked Sirius.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just can't wait to be an Auror so I can rip my dear cousin's insane head off. I just need some sleep, I'll calm down by morning."

Teresa nodded. Her husband and Sirius walked up the stairs. "How are you feeling James?" she asked, kindly.

"Those people were having _fun_ tormenting those poor muggleborns. No wonder Lily hates me, I was just like them. I was proud and arrogant and thought I'd always get what I want. I didn't know that people like her were treated that badly," he said. He looked absolutely distraught.

"Don't beat yourself up dear. We were selfish. WE are old and protected you too much. You were ignorant, so you made a few mistakes. You are not even close to being evil like them. You have a kind heart and a good nature. You just need to let them show," his mother said, gently.

"I'm going to be good, Mum. I'm not going to impose myself on Lily anymore. I'm going to work hard and become the best Auror ever. I'll protect Lily and all the others from those…creatures," said James resolutely.

"That's the spirit dear. I'm sure Lily doesn't hate you. Maybe one day, she'll fall for you herself. You'll be fine," said his mother, giving him a hug.

"Maybe she'll agree to being just friends," said James. He had made up his mind. The whole of Hogwarts would see the real James Potter.

"**That's it? How did they get married then?" asked James. **

"**Well they became friends; that led to a lot of new discoveries. It's late, you should get some sleep. We'll continue tomorrow," said McGonagall. The boys left, they couldn't wait for the morning to hear what happened next.

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_Hope you liked it! Please can I get at least 5 reviews**?** I really love to hear what you think!**  
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	16. Chapter 15

_Hey! This chapter is not really one of my best nor does it have any plot really. It's just a filler that I felt was necessary but don't let that put you off! I found it quite cute in places. I hope to be able to finish the story by the end of January at the most because I am going to be insanely busy after that till May and I don't want to put the story on hold till then. _

_As always,the story is in McGonagall's perspective and the interruptions and whatever happens in realtime is in **bold** and whatever happens in Lily and James' time is in normal font._

_Hope you remember who Rosalie is, it's been long since I mentioned her!_

_Enjoy reading!_

_Disclaimer : I am not JKR and don't own anything that seems familiar..._

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**Rosalie sat alone on the edge of her bed in her dormitory. James Potter had just returned from who knew where and he'd been nice to her **_**again**_**. She reached over, pulled out her diary and began to write.**

_**Dear Diary,**_

_**I have had a very confusing day. A couple of years ago, I confessed to you that I had a bit of a crush on James Sirius Potter. A year ago, I realized that he's the biggest prat to ever set foot in Hogwarts. Now, I'm in two minds. He was perfectly horrible in the beginning of term but now, he's being nice to me! In fact, he's been all I've been thinking about for the whole day. What is it with boys and their ability to mess about with a girl's mind? James Potter **_**has**_** been growing up over the last couple of months. My friends warned me about it and said he was only trying to impress me. But since the beginning of Christmas break, he's seemed really sincere. Just this morning, he apoloigsed for annoying me and asked to be friends! I accepted but I haven't seen him all day. I don't want to go out with him (not yet anyway…) but I would like to be friends. He was always…interesting…Maybe tomorrow, I'll have more luck. He, Albus and I are the only Gryffindors here and I hope I'll have some company tomorrow. I felt like such an idiot wandering around the castle on my own today. Wish me luck!**_

_**Love,**_

_**Rosalie.**_

**She shut the book and sighed. She really did hope she'd be able to get a chance to be friends with the Potters.**

**X-X-X**

**Albus Potter was down at the Great Hall first that morning. The whole of Gryffindor table was deserted. He and James had decided to have breakfast before heading to McGonagall's office. Al wondered what his other best friend, Scorpius Malfoy, might be doing. He hung around with James only when he wanted to prank someone. But, Scorpius, his cousin Rose, and her best friend, Phyllis, usually hung out together. As he was lost in his thoughts, he received a sudden tap on his shoulder. He jumped and turned around to find Rosalie behind him.**

"**Can I sit down?" she asked.**

"**Err…sure," said Al, returning to his toast.**

"**Where's James?" she asked, reaching for some toast herself.**

"**Probably slept in. I should have woken him up when I came down here. Why? Suddenly decided to go out with him then?" answered Albus, his eyes twinkling, just like his namesake's.**

"**No," she replied quickly, "He asked to be friends yesterday so I was wondering if we could hang out sometime today."**

"**Why, Rosalie! I'm hurt! You're asking my idiot brother out instead of me?" said James, feigning hurt and pretending as though he'd only heard the last part of Rosalie's sentence. **

"**No, I'm not really into younger men," she said grinning.**

"**So, **_**who**_** were you talking about?" asked James, sitting down.**

"**You, actually. You said you wanted to be friends and then I never saw you again yesterday," she replied, looking a little hurt.**

**James shifted uncomfortably, "I was a little busy," he said evasively.**

"**With what? It's not like you have holiday homework. Actually I don't want to know. Are you free today? There's no one else in the castle that I'm acquainted with. Everyone staying for the holidays are either scary looking seniors or scared first years. I got really bored roaming around all alone. I thought we could all go out and play some Quidditch in the snow," said Rosalie. She did look a little lonely.**

**James glanced around the hall. There really **_**was**_** no one that she could spend the day with. He looked at Albus helplessly.**

"**Sorry, Rosalie. James and I have to be in McGonagall's office in ten minutes. We'll probably be there for the rest of the day," said Al, looking rather uncomfortable himself.**

"**Why? Don't tell me you have detention," she said, sternly.**

"**No, of course not. She's just been…um…counseling us so we don't turn into juvenile delinquents," said Albus while Rosalie raised her eyebrows in disbelief. He glanced at James who was looking longingly at her. Albus sighed, "We'll ask McGonagall if she'll let us off early, okay?"**

**Rosalie smiled, "Thanks. Take her counseling seriously, alright?"**

**They nodded and left. James gave her a half-hearted smile, which she returned to his surprise. The brothers walked up to McGonagall's office. **

**She looked up as they entered and frowned, "What's wrong?"**

**James related everything that had happened quickly. McGonagall looked thoughtful, "Do you want to ask her to join us?"**

**James looked at her incredulously, "Are you kidding me? If she ends up thinking I'm just trying to find new ways to impress her, she'll hate me even more!"**

"**She doesn't need to know. You could just be listening to your grandparents' story," said Snape.**

**Al snorted, "The whole castle knows that Rosalie's one of the smartest witches around. She'll obviously guess the truth."**

"**She could just take it as an old story that we wanted to know. Professor McGonagall **_**was**_** grandpa's godmother. We could just say that I remind her of him so she wanted to tell me all about him. She'll see the similarities soon, but she could just dismiss it as a coincidence," said James.**

"**I'm not sure about this," said Albus hesitantly.**

"**It's your choice, James. Either she'll think you're just another git or that you're really sweet for making such an effort to change for her. You're the only one who'll win or lose something here. Why don't you see how the story's going and make a decision by lunchtime?" said Dumbledore, kindly.**

**James nodded. That seemed like his best option right then.**

"**Well if you're ready, I'll continue," said McGonagall. When the boys settled into their chairs, she continued with the story.**

James spent the rest of Christmas convincing himself that if he went out with other girls, he'd forget about Lily. But he knew he'd still have to apologise to her if he wanted to be friends. While he didn't want to have his heart broken anymore, he didn't want to completely erase Lily from his life either. So, the first thing he did when he got back to school was find her.

"Lily!" he called, spotting her on the marble staircase. She stiffened at the sound of his voice and tried to push her way through the crowd. Remus was in front of her. He heard James shout and slowed down immediately, forcing Lily to slow down too. James caught up with her and quickly flashed a grateful smile at Remus.

"Lily, relax. I just want to talk," he said.

"Potter, I-I really don't have the time now and we're blocking the staircase," said Lily trying to get away.

James pulled her to the corner of the landing, "No, listen. I just wanted to say sorry."

Lily stared at him, "What?"

"I'm sorry I've imposed myself on you and your life. I shouldn't have tried to force you to go out with me. It's your choice. I'll stop asking you out. I-I realized I've been a big prat and I hope you'll forgive me and give me a second chance and just let me be your friend," he said.

"You want to be my friend?" she asked, surprised.

"Yeah. I really did enjoy having civil conversations with you and it'll soon be our last year here and I've been so focused on asking you that I never bothered your feelings. So, I want to be your friend. I won't ask you out again. If we're friends maybe your seriousness will rub off on me and I can teach you how to have fun," he said a small smile raising the corners of his mouth. He hadn't smiled since Christmas.

Lily smiled back, "It takes a lot of maturity to accept that, Potter. Friends?" she asked, holding out her hand.

James shook it, "Friends."

"**Okay, I'm glad Rosalie wasn't here right now," said James, "That was **_**very**_** similar to what I'd told her two days ago."**

It was a rather unlikely friendship. Bets were being placed all over Hogwarts by people waiting for James to ask her out sometime. But, James had no such intentions. The next morning, Lily and her friends walked down to breakfast. Alice raised an eyebrow as they made their way down the table to the Marauders.

"Since when do _you_ sit with the Marauders?" she asked.

"Since Potter agreed to be friends," Lily replied.

"I still can't believe you just agreed," said Alison.

"He's been really nice for the last month and even yesterday, he seemed…older, somehow. I think Lily's right to give him a second chance," said Mary.

Alison mumbled something about losing a bet. Lily rolled her eyes and sat down beside Remus.

"Why Lilyflower, how nice of you to join us," said Sirius.

Lily raised an eyebrow.

"Don't mind him, this is how he is _every_ morning," said Peter.

"Nah, you're seeing me on of my good days girls," said Sirius himself, grinning.

"Oh yeah, wait till you see him on Cereal Day," said Remus.

"I remember that. Didn't he go around singing till he got off the sugar high?" asked Alison.

James grimaced, "That's all he did in public. We have much more disturbing memories of what he did later."

"We don't want to know," said all four girls together.

Sirius looked quite ready to tell them what he'd done but distraction arrived in the form of Frank Longbottom, a Hufflepuff sixth year.

"Hey," he said, looking at Alice.

"Um, hi," she said. The girls exchanged looks. They knew Alice had a crush on Frank. He was her partner in Ancient Runes and she'd really got to know him better that year.

"Er…so do you have that essay ready for Runes this afternoon?" he asked.

Alice's face fell, "Oh...yeah. Yeah, I have it ready."

"Good," he said awkwardly.

James grinned and glanced at Sirius who nodded. This guy was obviously inexperienced. "So Frank, you came all the way over from the Hufflepuff table to ask Alice if she's finished an essay?" said Sirius.

"Actually, it's just the next table," said Alice.

Alison kicked her under the table and gave her a 'don't-blow-it' glare. Alice's eyes widened and she fell silent.

"Uh, no. I actually wanted to ask her something else," said Frank, blushing.

James gave a sudden snort of laughter which he turned into a sneeze when Alison kicked him under the table. Alison looked at Frank expectedly.

He took a deep breath, "Do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me next weekend?"

Alice just continued to stare at him, a slightly silly smile on her face.

Alison rolled her eyes and kicked her again. "OW! I mean yes! Yes, I'd love to go to Hogsmeade with you," said Alice hurriedly.

"Great! I guess I'll see you later then," said Frank looking relieved.

"Ouch. Alison next time wear your heels _after_ breakfast when you can't kick me," grumbled Alison, massaging her leg.

"I agree with you Alice," said James rubbing his own leg.

Mary suddenly gave a squeal, "You're going to Hogsmeade with Frank Longbottom!"

Sirius who was next to her winced. "I hate it when girls do that," he grumbled, as the four girls talked excitedly about Alice's date.

James gazed at Lily, watching the way she smiled excitedly, the way her hair fell around her shoulders as she leaned over to hug Alice, how delighted she seemed to be in the small girlish pleasures. Remus poked him in the ribs. He looked around indignantly into the boy's amused blue eyes. "You're getting over her, remember?" said Remus.

James sighed and nodded just as the bell rang. Lily stood up, "Potions first today," she said smiling.

Sirius groaned. "You're the only one who would find that worth smiling about."

"You just suck at Potions."

"I do not!"

Lily and Sirius argued all the way down to Potions where Slughorn was waiting.

"Right," said the Professor, "This term, we are starting a project." Everyone looked only mildly interested.

"Now, I got the Headmaster's permission to make it a little interesting. I will be splitting you into groups of four and each group will be brewing a different love potion."

Everybody looked interested now. Some of the students exchanged mischievous glances.

Slughorn's eyes twinkled as he continued, "Of course, if I catch anyone with the symptoms of a love potion, you will all get into trouble. These are for purely academic purposes only so that you understand the difficulties in making such complex potions. Each group will be making a potion and presenting a small speech on it in three months. If possible, we might just try out a couple of the less potent ones." He winked.

The Slytherins looked a little wary at that but the other houses looked excited. Slughorn held up a box, "I want each of you to come up here in alphabetical order and pick up a piece of paper. You will sit at the table whose number is on the paper and wait till you are joined by your teammates. This way, I won't have any fights and tantrums since who you work with will depend entirely on your luck."

There were loud groans at this and a few dark glances at Slughorn but in ten minutes, everyone had been sorted into their groups. Lily was cursing her luck. She was stuck in a group with Potter and Sirius, for Merlin's sake! Alison was there too but she was just as bad as the boys in some ways. Alice was teamed with two Slytherin boys and a Ravenclaw girl. Mary and Remus were teamed with Snape and a Hufflepuff named Jenny Foster.

Slughorn clapped his hands for attention. "Right, I will leave you free for the rest of the class to decide on your potion and get to know your teammates better. Making a love potion is difficult and you'll need good cooperation.

"So what should we brew?" asked Alison, flipping through her book.

"How about the Draught of Desire? It's pretty easy," said Lily.

"Well you guys are doing all the work anyway, it doesn't matter," said Sirius leaning back on two legs of his stool.

Alison kicked him under the table sending him crashing to the floor.

"Ow!" said Sirius getting up. "What is it with you and kicking people?"

"I was always good at football," shrugged Alison

"What?"

"It's a muggle sport. Kind of like Quidditch without brooms and played with your feet," said James, turning another page of the textbook. He looked up to find the others gaping at him. "What? I paid attention in Muggle Studies," he protested

"Which you only took for Evans," muttered Sirius. James glared at him but Lily hadn't heard.

"How about this?" she asked, "Passion Potion?"

Sirius laughed at the stupid name and James shook his head. "Evans, you're working with the Marauders now. You have to think big." James flipped through the book and held it to her.

Lily looked at the page and burst out laughing. "Amortentia? Are you kidding? That's the toughest of the lot!"

"It's tough, it's not impossible," said James.

"Potter, I know you're crazy, but this is too much. There's a reason amortentia is so powerful. The process is very complicated and there are a million ways that it can go wrong," said Lily.

"But it only takes a month to make which means you have two months to make those million mistakes. You can make 16,666 mistakes a day!" argued James.

"Why didn't you take Arithmancy? You're pretty good at Math."

"Don't change the subject!"

Lily threw up her hands and looked at the other two, "Well don't just sit there watching us like we're a tennis match. Surely, you agree with me that this is insane for a school project."

"Actually, it's not so bad an idea," said Alison.

"It's an interesting potion, Evans. I'm even willing to do some of the work," said Sirius.

"That wouldn't happen to be because you'll have permission to procure ingredients that are otherwise restricted, would it?" asked Alison, shrewdly.

"You know me too well," said Sirius, smirking.

Alison blushed slightly, but Sirius continued, "I think it could work. You're the best Potioneer in the class."

"You're the best at Charms too, so these incantations shouldn't be a problem," said James.

"Yeah, and I'm pretty good at Herbology, I can help out with the plant ingredients," said Alison.

"Sirius can do all the manual labor and the procuring of the more…difficulty...ingredients and I can help out with everything else, especially protecting us if the potion blows up," said James.

Lily bit her lip, "I don't know," she said hesitantly.

"Come on Lily; think how happy Slughorn'll be. It'll look good on your job applications," said Alison.

"We'll definitely get top grades and maybe some extra credit too. You won't have the time next year, Evans. Don't you want to accomplish something before you leave Hogwarts? Think of all the good things that can happen instead of how it can go wrong," said James.

"Plus, we could always sneak some of the potion into Snivelly's pumpkin juice and watch him proclaim his love for McGonagall," said Sirius.

Lily grinned, "I'm in."

X-X-X

Lily sat in the library behind a huge pile of books. She was waiting for her three teammates to arrive so that they could discuss their project.

"Hey," said a voice.

She looked up to find James grinning down at her. HE sat in front of her and moved a few books, "Don't try to hide behind those books Evans. I could spot your hair a mile away."

"Old habits die hard I guess. I'm so used to hiding from you," she replied.

"That was the old James. I'm much more subtle. Need any help?" he asked gesturing at the book she'd been looking through.

"You know, when people ask that, they expect the other person to say no. So is this your 'subtle' way of worming out of all the work?" she said.

"You think too much, Evans. You said we could be friends. I always help my friends. And I'm not that much of an irresponsible prat now," he said, his face serious.

"I'm sorry. I just need a little time to remember that," said Lily, softly. "I don't know what's made you change, Potter, but it must have been something big."

"You have no idea," he replied, softly.

"Don't lose it."

"What?"

"Your mischief. Everyone needs a laugh occasionally, don't disappoint them."

James smiled, "Is this Lily Evans, model Prefect, giving me permission to pull pranks?"

"I have to admit, I did love some of them."

"You seem to have changed a lot too. A few months ago, you'd have jumped in the lake before complimenting me," said James, his eyes twinkling.

"If it wasn't freezing, I wouldn't mind, I love the water," said Lily, absently twirling her quill.

"Is white your favourite colour?" asked James suddenly.

"What?"

"I've noticed that a lot of your quills and dresses are white. Is it your favourite colour?"

"You were that observant?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You aren't really hard to miss," he said, pointedly looking at her hair.

She sighed and ran her hands through it, "I don't really like white much. Most people give me white stuff because they think it's the only colour that goes with my hair."

"So what is your favourite colour then?"

"I lied to most people when they asked me that."

"And how many people have asked you that?" said James, raising an eyebrow.

"Just my friends," muttered Lily, sheepishly.

"Are you going to lie to me too?"

"Pink," she mumbled.

He raised the other eyebrow. "You hexed me for turning your dormitory pink," he said accusingly.

"I hate _that_ shade of garish pink. I love the really pale, light pink. Unfortunately, I don't own anything pink because of my hair!" said Lily.

"I'd never have taken you for a pink lover."

"Well I don't think that's fair. If girls don't like pink, who will? If you wore pink, you'd probably look like a wimp. I don't go overboard with pink, I just find it really pleasant," she said indignantly.

James smiled, "Guess I know what colour to dye your dormitory on Valentine's Day."

"Potter, if you even think about it, _I_ will dye your hair pink!"

James grinned, "I was just joking!"

"What's your favourite colour then? You can't ask all the questions," said Lily.

James looked right into her eyes. "Green. Deep, emerald green."

Lily blushed, "I'd have thought you'd love red," she said.

"Why?"

"Green is a Slytherin colour."

"An unfortunate coincidence. There are so many other beautiful things that are green," said James, looking away as he reminded himself that he was supposed to be getting over her.

Lily suddenly smiled, "You know, this is our first ever interesting, civil and friendly conversation."

James smiled back, "You're right! I think I'll go nick some sweets later and celebrate."

"Oh yeah, make plans about sneaking out in front of a Prefect," said Lily.

James looked around and changed the subject as he spotted Sirius and Alison walking in. "Finally!" he said.

"Sirius probably got lost on the way," said Lily.

"Or he engaged Alison in…other…activities," said James.

Lily grinned mischievously, "We can't rule out that possibility." She suddenly looked at James, right in the eye, "You know what, Potter? I might just enjoy being friends with you."

"**How did they become so friendly? Didn't they find it a little awkward?" asked Al.**

"**A little, but aside from the occasional fight, they got on well enough," said McGonagall.**

"**Lily once told me that she wished someone as loyal as James Potter would be her friend. She liked working but she always envied the Marauders for their fun-loving ways. That's why she found being friends with them so easy. Deep down, she'd always wanted it. Also, James had toned down his arrogance which was really all she hated about him and they had been quite polite for a couple of months previously, remember?" said Snape.**

"**It must have torn James apart though, to be so close to her yet so far," said James.**

"**Oh, it did. But he quite enjoyed learning about Lily's little eccentricities. He never forgot anything she told him and that was one of the things she found so endearing about him. She was touched that he cared so much about her so as to remember the little details that were important to her but so insignificant to others," said Dumbledore.**

"**He was also able to get over her as he found himself a girlfriend. Let me tell you about that," said McGonagall.

* * *

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_Did you like it? Let me know with a review! Do you want Rosalie to join the boys? I'm deciding on that based on the reviews! I have to think of a good cover story...At least five reviews again, please?_**  
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	17. Chapter 16

_Hey! I can't believe I'm updating twice in the same week! I'm so proud of myself._

_Thanks of course for your amazing reviews which inspired me to write so soon. 100 reviews at last! Thank you all so much!_

_This chapter was intended to be fluffy when I thought about it, but it ended up as more of an emotional chapter...don't worry though, next chapter will have enough fluff..._

_As always, the interruptions are in** bold.**_

_Hope you like it**. **_

_Review!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own HP._

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James, Lily, Alison and Sirius spent a lot of their time in the Library over the next couple of weeks, researching the potion.

"Right, we should be able to start brewing the potion next Saturday night," said Alison.

"I'd much rather go on a moonlit stroll with a pretty girl on my Saturday nights," grumbled Sirius.

"Well you will be taking a stroll as we have to add the first ingredient, moongrass, at the exact moment that the full moon is at its highest point and stir for as long as it takes for the grass to liquefy. Liquid moongrass is the whole base of the potion," said Lily.

James and Sirius froze, "Did you say full moon night?" asked Sirius.

"Yeah, she did. What's the matter? You scared of werewolves or something?" asked Alison.

Lily's eyes widened as she saw the boys exchange a look. She'd forgotten all about Remus. But, since she didn't know the Marauders'' secret, she thought they were just scared that Remus might wander into the grounds.

"Don't worry, even if there are werewolves in the Forest, they can't bother us. We'll be on top of the astronomy tower," said Lily. She wondered why the boys looked even more worried at that but busied herself in giving out instructions to her teammates on what they'd need to do on Saturday night.

James and Sirius didn't say a word to each other all the way back to the common room. Only once they were in the safety of their dorm and Sirius had cast the Muffliato charm on the door did they turn to each other.

"We can't do this," said Sirius.

"We can't let Lily down either. She needs all of us that night, it's a complex potion. But there's no way Peter could control Remus on his own," said James.

"What are you two talking about?" asked Remus, suddenly walking in with Peter. Sirius mentally cursed himself for not having locked the door when he soundproofed it. He glanced at James before answering.

"We might have a problem next Saturday."

"Why? It's the full moon," said Peter.

"Well, technically, it's James' fault since he was the one suggested the potion in the first place," said Sirius.

"Hey! How was I to know it needed full moon nights?" demanded James.

Remus looked at them. "Your potions' project is Amortentia. You need to start brewing it on a full moon night, right?"

Sirius nodded.

"There's no other way to do it?"

"I don't think so," said James.

"Well, then, it's obvious isn't it?" said Remus.

"You can't be serious!" exclaimed Sirius.

"Of course I'm not, you're Sirius," said Remus.

No one even cracked a smile.

Remus sighed, "Look, we all know Peter can't handle me on his own-"

"I could try," offered Peter.

"No offense, Pete, but you're not all that good with spells that are needed to hold back a werewolf. A rat wouldn't be much good either and you can't be human around me. Lily needs you two and she's finally giving you a chance, Prongs, at least as friends. You can't blow it."

"I could. I'm under no such inhibition," said Sirius.

"The last time Alison yelled at you, you sulked up here for a day. I'd rather handle a few cuts and bruises than a moody Sirius. You convinced Lily to go ahead with Amortentia. If you two don't show up, Lily will believe you don't think she's up to it. I know her better than you two. She's usually confident but even her self-esteem can't take a blow like that," said Remus.

He looked at his friends, meeting each one's eyes. "You've risked your necks for me and sacrificed so much. Let _me_ do this one thing for you. If a little pain is all it takes to help you two win the favour of the girls you love, I'll gladly bear it."

James looked at Remus with immense respect while Sirius muttered something about never saying anything about love. They nodded at him finally.

Remus smiled, "Just make sure you get LOTS of chocolate in the morning for me. Oh by the way, James, my teammate Jenny Foster can hardly stop asking about you. And, she's not the usual boring type either."

"**Remus is one lucky guy," said Al. **

"**He's extremely brave too. If I was a werewolf, I could never have said all that," said James.**

"**He was a Gryffindor," said Dumbledore, simply.**

"**It wasn't just the boys, the girls did their best to help him too," said McGonagall.**

Lily sat in the Library, staring out at the grounds. She hadn't realized the implications of their potion needing to be started on a full moon night. Her father had always told her, "Keep your eyes and ears open, and you'll be fine." She had always been very observant. She'd even sensed the hostility of the older Slytherins when she was just a second year. She knew the Marauders had their secrets. Since fifth year, Remus had been healing faster than he should have. She suspected the others must have found a way for him to calm down and prevent him from hurting himself. She also realized that they wouldn't be able to do it this month. She didn't' think they made actual contact with Remus, she just assumed they used some sort of spell. Lily sighed. She went to the Healing Section and found the book she needed, "Pain relieving Potions."

X-X-X

Mary sat at a window in the common room, staring at the grounds. She could just see the Whomping Willow, it's branches swaying gently. She had just asked Alison when they were starting with their Potion and Alison had told her. Mary glanced at the moon, it was nearly full. Soon, Remus would have to make his monthly trip, but this time, his friends wouldn't be able to help him. Like Lily, Mary also thought they used some sort of short-range spell to keep him under control. She didn't think they would be foolish enough to stay close to him after he transformed. However, both girls were unaware that the other knew Remus' secret. Mary smiled suddenly. She had no choice but to be foolish on Saturday night. She got up quickly. She needed to research some spells.

X-X-X

Saturday morning passed in a blur. Everyone was too preoccupied with themselves to see that the others seemed anxious too. Lily was worried about Remus. Mary was worried about whether she'd make it through the night. Sirius, Peter and James were worried about whether _Remus_ would make it through the night. Remus was anxious about whether he'd accidentally hurt someone. Alison was worried about their project. Only Alice was happily oblivious to all the worry and was lost in thoughts about Frank.

But, by the evening, all of them could see that Remus was the most anxious of the lot. Since the others seemed rather preoccupied themselves, Peter sat with him and talked about all their old pranks. Alison and Alice joined in and soon they had Remus much calmer and even smiling. The two girls just thought he was a little ill and needed some cheering up. Lily watched them approvingly. She knew that the less Remus thought about the pain, the better. Soon enough, Remus excused himself saying that he really did feel ill and maybe he had better see Madam Pomfrey after all. Mary checked her watch; there was only half an hour to moonrise. Alice went up to bed and Alison, Lily, James and Sirius went to the library to do some last minute reading before taking all their equipment up to the astronomy tower.

X-X-X

Mary sneaked out of the Tower as soon as Alice fell asleep. It had already been two hours since Remus had gone into the tunnel. He would have already hurt himself pretty badly. She quickly ran across the grounds and stopped at the Willow.

"Wingardium Leviosa," she muttered. A twig rose off the ground and froze the tree. Mary looked at the still tree and at the passage entrance. She hesitated for a single moment before taking a deep breath and goig in.

The other four Gryffindor lugged a cauldron up to the Astronomy Tower, pausing only when Sirius dropped it on his foot. The cauldron clanged and banged its way down two flights of stairs while Sirius hopped after it, swearing, before James thought of putting a Freezing Charm on it. They made it to the top of the Tower just as Mary slipped into the tunnel.

Albus Dumbledore stood at his window, Fawkes on his shoulder, wand in his hand, gazing out at all the drama unfolding before him.

"**You let her go after a **_**werewolf**_** and didn't stop her?" exclaimed Albus. **

"**Did you know they were Animagi?" demanded James looking at Dumbledore's portrait.**

**Dumbledore chuckled.**

"**What?" asked both the boys, defensively.**

**Dumbledore smiled as he replied, "You two reminded me of Harry just then. He was as angry and adamant to hear some answers when he heard something about Severus. It must be Lily's genes coming out in the lot of you. She could never let something go until she had all the answers either. To answer your questions, yes, I let Mary go and no, I didn't know they were Animagi till Sirius told me in Harry's third year."**

"**But how could you just let her go like that? Weren't you worried about her safety?" asked Albus.**

**Dumbledore's eyes flashed, "I always take my students' safety seriously Mr. Potter. Don't ever assume otherwise. I just let them explore things on their own."**

**Al looked ashamed. "Sorry," he said.**

**Dumbledore went on, "I was at the Shrieking Shack that night. I left Minerva in charge of the castle in case the Amortentia brewing went awry. It is a very complex potion. I made sure that Mary would not be harmed."**

"**I didn't know she'd done that, especially after knowing how much danger she was putting herself in," said Snape, looking impressed. "Why did you let her go though? You could have taken care of Lupin yourself."**

"**She had to know why she was doing it and how hard she'd fallen for Remus Lupin. She'd liked him for **_**ages**_** and didn't quite know it till that night. Some people like Severus and James recognize love when they see it and they just know they'll do anything for their loved ones. Some people like Lily, need to be convinced that they have always loved someone. To people like Alice and Frank, it just **_**happens**_**. Alison and Sirius needed to be convinced of each other's love. Mary had to know that she loved Remus before she went further," said Dumbledore.**

"**There must have been easier ways than a midnight date with a werewolf," muttered Albus.**

"**Girls in love don't usually think, especially not hormonal teenagers," said McGonagall.**

"**How do **_**you**_** know that Minnie?" asked Severus with a sly glance at Dumbledore.**

**McGonagall raised her wand threateningly, "Don't ever call me that again. I was a teenager once too you know, I wasn't born old. Anyway, let's continue before I lose my temper and hex Severus."**

Mary raised her wand when she heard Remus. She slowed down near the end of the tunnel. She heard him stiffen and sniff the air. Without warning, the werewolf stuck its head into the tunnel, looking straight at her.

Immediately, Mary yelled, "Stupefy!" The creature was blasted backwards into what she recognized to be the Shrieking Shack. The werewolf wasn't stunned though, merely dazed. She waved her wand again, and a set of thick, gold chains appeared, binding it. The creature struggled and thrashed but she spoke to it soothingly as if it were just an angry animal. She had even remembered to put on liberal amounts of some flowery perfume to mask her human scent. She knew the chains wouldn't hold all night and every time a link broke, she would need to fix it quickly. She sat down opposite the werewolf. It kept its eyes on her, slightly calmer now as she kept talking soothingly. It was going to be a long night.

X-X-X

Meanwhile, the four potioneers had got started. Their moongrass was melting nicely. James and Sirius were maintaining an even heat on the cauldron while Lily was casting the necessary spells and Alison was adding the basic ingredients. Finally, after a long while, they surveyed the bright gold liquid in the cauldron.

"Perfect. That's the exact shade described in the book," said Sirius.

"Good job Lily," said James.

She smiled tiredly, "Thank you. Good work everyone. We have to leave it alone tomorrow, but we can continue day after."

"Let's get this downstairs. If I sit down anywhere, I won't get up again till the morning," said Alison, yawning. The others nodded their agreement.

"At least it's a Saturday night," said James. He checked his watch, "Or rather, Sunday morning."

"What's the point of that? If we're spending sleepless nights on this project it should at least be on a weeknight so we can skive off classes on the next day and sleep in," said Sirius.

The others laughed as they levitated all their things down. Sirius and James took the cauldron out to an empty classroom near Gryffindor tower. They even put up a few protective charms around it. The girls went to their dorm. They were far too tired and sleepy to notice that that last bed was empty.

X-X-X

Mary was singing softly now. She doubted Remus could understand her but she knew he'd remember she'd been with him all night. She wasn't looking forward to what he'd say to her in the morning. She glanced out of the window. The moon was getting closer to the horizon. But it seemed to be getting darker…or was that because her eyes were closing…

Mary awoke with a start as a growl sounded in the room. She checked her watch quickly and sighed with relief. She'd only dozed off for fifteen minutes. She looked out again. The moon was touching the horizon now. It was no longer white but a big yellowish disc. Remus was already transforming back. She resumed talking softly to him and once his paws transformed back to human hands, she sat beside him, holding his hand in silence, rubbing it when he winced at a particularly strong bout of pain. In a little under an hour, he was almost completely himself again.

"See you later," she whispered.

He nodded weakly as she squeezed his hand and disappeared back down the passage. She managed to sneak back into her dorm unseen and collapsed onto her bed. It was nearly 5 in the morning. She did _not_ plan on waking up before ten.

Albus Dumbledore floated in through the open window. He smiled at the tired girl and tucked her in, careful not to wake her.

"Sweet dreams, my dear Mary. You have been so brave and loyal that even Godric Gryffindor would be proud," he murmured. She smiled lightly in her sleep.

X-X-X

Remus opened his eyes slowly. He heard sighs of relief and turned his had to find Peter, Sirius and James standing around his bed.

"What time is it?" he groaned as he felt his sore muscles protest.

"It's almost noon. Pomfrey didn't expect you to be up so soon," said Sirius, grinning.

"How are you feeling? You don't look much worse than you get with us except for those welts on your arms and legs. Did you get tangled in some rope?" asked James.

"Those aren't from ropes," said Remus. He told them what had happened in the night and how Mary had sat with him. He couldn't remember most of what she'd talked about, just the tone of her voice.

"She was amazing really. She'd even thought to cover her scent as much as possible," he finished.

"That would explain why she took so long to get to breakfast. Her friends assumed she'd been studying late and slept in," said Peter.

"It's bothering you, isn't it? You're wondering why she'd put herself in so much danger," said James.

"You're also wondering why it means so much to you. She knew how much danger she was in as well as we do every month. But if she'd got hurt, _you'd_ feel the pain," said Sirius.

"I'd do that for you guys too," protested Remus, "It's just…different somehow."

Sirius let out a bark of laughter as James grinned and shook his head, "Moony, Moony, Moony. What will we do without you? You're all wise and canny when it comes to giving _me_ love advice but you can't see it when it's happening to you."

"What? I'm not in love with her," said Remus.

"Why are you so angry with her then?"

"She risked her life!"

"So do we."

Remus had no answer to that, but just then, a face poked around the door.

"Can I come in?" asked Mary, nervously.

"Come on in. Remus just told us the story," said James, smiling warmly at her. He'd always considered her a quiet, shy girl but she'd just earned his respect.

"We were just leaving anyway. See you later Remus," said Sirius. He patted Mary on the back on his way out.

Mary made her way over to the bed. Remus glared at her before turning his head to stare at the ceiling. She sat beside him.

"I'm sorry. Look, I know you're mad at me but I wanted to help you," she said.

"I could have killed you or worse made you like me," said Remus, bitterly.

"I knew what I was doing. I'd looked it all up."

"Real life isn't a book, Mary. It's not that perfect," snapped Remus, facing her."So many things could've gone wrong. What if you had underestimated my strength? What if you'd fallen asleep? What if you'd got hurt in some way and couldn't defend yourself? What if-"

"There are a lot of things that could have happened but didn't, okay?" Mary interrupted. "We're all here now. I'm safe and so are you and that's all that matters."

Remus sighed, "I'm sorry. I'm more angry with myself than you."

"Why? It's not your fault you're what you are. If any, it should be my fault for getting you so worked up right now. In any case, I spend a whole night making sure you're all right and _this _is all you can say? I suppose if Miss Secret Admirer did it, you'd be much happier?" said Mary, angrily.

"Who?"

"You know, the one who sends you chocolates _every month_. I see they haven't arrived yet," said Mary.

"What does that have to do with anything?" asked Remus, confused at the sudden change of subject.

"Don't you get it?" she said, looking away, "The reason I came after you yesterday was because I-"

The door opened and Lily walked in. She stopped when she saw them.

"**Oh come on! Lily has the worst timing ever!" said James.**

"I'm sorry! Am I interrupting something? I'll come back later shall I?" she asked.

"No, it's alright," said Mary, looking disappointed.

Remus looked wary, "How did you know where I was?"

"Oh, quit acting. I've known about your 'furry little problem' for ages," said Lily, smiling.

Remus and Mary gaped at her. "I see we both knew and never told each other," she said to Mary who simply nodded back.

"Why are you here then? You aren't disgusted or scared?" asked Remus, rather harshly.

"Remus, seriously, the whole world doesn't hate you, okay? If I was scared, would I have spend hours with you in the library or been your friend for the last three years? Would I be here to beg your forgiveness for taking your friends away last night? I know they help you somehow. I don't want to know how though, I have a feeling it breaks a lot of rules," she said.

"You have no idea," muttered Remus.

"Anyway," Lily continued, "I wouldn't have sent you chocolates every month either."

"_You're _the secret admirer?" said Remus and Mary together.

"I don't remember ever signing my notes that way so I assume Sirius named me that," said Lily.

Mary looked a whole lot happier now. Even Remus looked relieved as he glanced at Mary.

"Anyway, I brought you some pain-relieving potions. A little vanilla makes it taste a lot better than Madam Pomfrey's medicines. Here are the chocolates of course," said Lily, setting a big basket on the bedside table. She and Mary stayed for a little while longer before leaving.

Lily headed to the library. To her surprise, she found James and Remus' potions teammate, Jenny Foster at a table together. Jenny was obviously flirting with James but in a nice polite way, not the in-your-face kind of way most girls did around him.

"Hey Jenny, Potter," said Lily as she made her way over to their table.

"Evans, hey. Alison and Sirius will be along in a minute," said James.

"Hey Lily," said Jenny, smiling. "I heard you started on your potions project yesterday. Good luck! We're starting tomorrow. I heard Remus was ill, is he better now?"

"Yeah, he's a lot better, I just came from the hospital wing," answered Lily. She'd always like Jenny.

"I hope he gets better soon, we really need him for this project. I have to go, bye," said Jenny. She smiled at James who nodded at her.

Lily raised her eyebrows once the girl had left.

"She needed help finding a DADA book, I helped her find it, we talked, I found her interesting," said James.

Lily's eyebrows went higher, she was smiling slightly now.

"Okay, _mum_, she asked me to go to Hogsmeade with her this weekend and I said yes," he finished, grinning.

"Be nice to her."

"Why Evans, you don't think I'm nice to all my dates?" asked James, feigning hurt.

"You've pretty much gone out with girls for a good snog."

"You're confusing me with Sirius now. Most of the girls broke up with _me. _ They never even gave me a second date. Don't worry, Evans. I like Jenny, I'll treat her well," said James.

An odd expression crossed Lily's face. James' sharp eyes caught it.

"What's the matter Evans? Sad that I didn't ask _you _out this time?" he asked.

"In your dreams, Potter," she said, walking away among the shelves. But, she couldn't help thinking that she was feeling a little strange. Surely it couldn't be because Potter hadn't asked her out, not just to Hogsmeade but not once since Christmas break? She shook her head but she couldn't help noticing the smile on James' face when he told Sirius about his date. It was the smile he'd had every time he'd asked her out. It was a smile she hadn't seen since Christmas. It was a smile that wasn't hers anymore.

"**Is she beginning to have feelings for James?" asked Al.**

"**She's always had them. She's just beginning to realize them now and believe me, it's going to take her quite a while," said McGonagall. "She didn't even realize it was why she was feeling sad. She thought she was just worried about James hurting himself or Jenny."**

"**Girls are crazy," said James.**

"**Speaking of which have you decided what to tell Rosalie?"**

"**It's not lunch time yet."**

"**So?"**

"**I don't want her to listen to this yet. She'll think I'm an idiot. We'll make up a story for her later," said James.**

"**Wise choice," said McGonagall. "The Hogsmeade weekend came up next. As usual around that time of the year, it was on Valentine's Day."**

**

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**_Rosalie's not going to join the boys after all...Hope you liked it! Review please, so that I know what you think about the story...maybe five reviews again?_**  
**


	18. Chapter 17

_Hey! I meant to put this up on Sunday, but somehow got too busy! Anyway, here's chapter 17. It didn't turn out as well as I hoped it would...in fact I don't like it very much, but it was 's not much of James and Albus interruptions either...  
_

_Thank you so much for all the reviews! I lvoed all of them. I'm sorry I haven't been able to reply to them. I'll be doing that in the AN before each chapter from the next chapter onwards. I relly appreciate all your reviews!_

_Hope you like this chpater. It's not very good...but do give it a try._

_Disclaimer: I don't own HP..._

_

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_Remus and Mary said goodbye to Jenny as she stepped out of the library. The turned to pick up their books and found their fourth team member for the project, Severus Snape, staring at them.

"What?" asked Remus, roughly.

"Could you give Lily a message?" he asked.

Mary raised an eyebrow. "I wanted to apologize to her. Will you ask her to meet me in Hogsmeade?" asked Snape.

"I thought she made it clear that she wants nothing to do with you," said Remus.

"She doesn't want your apologies. They mean nothing anyway. Stay away from Lily. If you want to talk to her, you'll have to get through us first," said Mary coldly. She and Remus left the library leaving a very disappointed Snape behind.

Meanwhile, Lily herself was ankle-deep in the lake with her Potions tam.

"Are you _sure_ we have to go in deeper?" asked Lily, looking at Alison.

"What's the matter, Evans? I thought you'd always wanted a date with the Giant Squid," said Sirius smirking.

Alison replied quickly as Lily glared at Sirius, "I'm positive, Lily. WE need to be in at least knee deep before we can find any Grindylow scales."

"We won't get pulled _in_ by any Grindylows, will we?" asked Sirius, skeptically.

"That's why I told you to keep your wand at the ready."

"You know, I don't think I like Amortentia anymore now that I know what goes into it," complained James.

"This was your idea," said Lily, wading in deeper and reaching for the weeds, "Stop compla-AAHHH!" she screamed as she felt a hand close around her wrist and pull her in.

"LILY!" shouted James in alarm. He dived in but he couldn't see her. "I can't see her," he said, coming back up.

Alison felt a scaly hand close around her foot, "Relashio!" she screamed. A disgruntled Grindylow swam away immediately.

"She must have been taken by Grindylows," said Sirius. He jumped in followed by James. They swam around, but there was no sign of the redhead. They came back up for air. Alison was looking at them anxiously but they shook their heads. James was seriously considering Summoning Lily when, suddenly, a giant tentacle came shooting out of the water, and wrapped in the tentacle was-

"Lily!" screamed Alison.

The tentacle deposited the girl on the bank, where she lay, coughing and spluttering. The others rushed to her immediately.

"Are you alright?" asked Sirius, concernedly.

James placed a hand at her back and helped her sit up. "I'm fine," she said, with a final cough, "Could someone dry me up? I'm a little tired."

Alison raised her wand immediately, hot air blowing out of the end. "What happened down there?" Sirius asked.

"A stupid Grindylow grabbed me! I used non-verbal spells for a while but I couldn't breathe and concentrate and I was stupid enough to open my mouth to say the spell and ended up swallowing a lot of water. I could see Potter, he was swimming towards me but I was in the weeds and there's no way he could have seen me. Suddenly the Giant Squid turned up and scooped me up and put me down here," she replied.

Alison hugged her tightly but pulled away quickly, wrinkling her nose, "I'm happy you're alive Lily, but you smell like giant Squid."

"Thanks a lot, I'll ask the Squid to use more deodorant on our next date, shall I?" replied Lily, sarcastically.

Sirius laughed, but James didn't. He was, in fact, looking sad and disappointed with himself. Lily noticed, "What's wrong?" she asked.

"I failed. This Potion was my idea and I promised to protect everyone from any harm during this project. I couldn't help you at all," he said miserably.

"Hey, it's okay. I wasn't in that much danger. One of you would have used the Summoning Charm son enough, or I would've realized that I could put a bubble head charm on myself. And I know you were the first person in the water searching for me," said Lily gently. James looked slightly better. "Besides," continued Lily, "those Grindylows left enough scales to last us a lifetime on my clothes. Must be shedding season."

Alison looked delighted and began pulling the scales off Lily's uniform. Just then, a voice called, "James!" They all looked up to find Jenny striding down the grounds.

"Hi," she said, looking at everyone. She turned to James, "Do you want to go for a walk? It's a nice day and if you aren't busy…" she trailed off, looking at Lily.

Lily smiled, "You can take him. We're done here anyway."

James smiled, "Thanks. You should go get some Pepper-Up potion just in case. The lake's still pretty cold, the ice is only just beginning to melt, even if the winter's been really short."

She smiled back, reassuringly. He went off with Jenny and Lily gazed after them thoughtfully. "I thought you start going out _after_ your first date," she said.

"They aren't _officially_ together. He's been happier than he's been for a long time now. It's okay for him to disappear into the grounds with her. Why Evans, are you jealous?" said Sirius.

"No, of course not!" said Lily, quickly.

Sirius gave her a knowing wink and turned to Alison, "You should be jealous. I'm going on a date with Amelia Dare."

She snorted, "Why should I be jealous? Sorry Sirius, I know Amelia's rich and beautiful and all but I don't swing that way. She's just another bimbo. I'm going on a date with Ken Adams. Much better choice don't you think?"

Lily smiled to herself. She knew Alison was going with Ken only to make Sirius jealous. Lily found it amusing that it was obvious to everyone that Alison and Sirius liked each other but spent their time trying to make the other jealous.

"Who're you going with Lilyflower?" asked Sirius, drawing Lily out of her thoughts.

"No one," she replied.

"Why not? It's Valentine's Day and you're a pretty girl."

"People _asked_ me Sirius. I just didn't want to go with any of them."

"She's not desperate, like you are," said Alison. Sirius argued back and they started bickering again. Lily tuned them out and realized suddenly that Mary was also not coming to Hogsmeade with her that weekend as she wanted to do some homework. She would be all alone in Hogsmeade. "Maybe I should have asked the Giant Squid out a few minutes ago, after all," mused Lily.

X-X-X

Valentine's Day dawned bright and sunny. Lily went down to the Great Hall for breakfast and found it decorated entirely in pinks and reds. She hoped they'd ban the garish decorations in the future. Red envelopes were flying around with Valentines in them. Predictably, the largest pile of envelopes was in front of the Marauders. Lily looked up as an envelope flew towards her. Surprised, she opened it and immediately wished she hadn't, because it started singing shrilly,

"Not even a million roses  
Can express my love for thee,  
Thy name is as beautiful as you  
My dearest Lily."

Lily cringed and hastily folded the envelope shut. She knew who it was from. She glanced down the table. James frantically shook his head and mouthed, "Not me." A pair of hands suddenly covered her eyes.

"Looking for me, darling?" a voice cooed.

She spun around on the bench, her hand automatically reaching for her wand. She came face-to-face with a blonde, blue-eyed boy who (unfortunately) happened to be an ex-boyfriend.

"Anthony Abbot," she said, resignedly.

"Will you do me the honour of accompanying me to Hogsmeade, beautiful lady?" he asked, flourishing a rose at her.

She drew back as the rose was practically thrust into her face, "No. I'm going with someone else, actually," she lied.

"Ah, competition! I will see you there, my love, and I will win thee back from my worthless rival," said Anthony.

"Err…okay?" said Lily. She was relieved when he beamed at her and strode (or rather pranced) away.

"I still cannot believe that guy is not gay," said Alison.

"This is Hogwarts, anything can happen," said Alice. Wisely.

After breakfast, everyone headed off to Hogsmeade. Lily stood alone at the back of the line. All around her, she could see boys and girls grinning shyly at each other or smiling and winking. A little down the line, James and Jenny seemed to be having a very animated conversation. They looked perfectly at ease with each other.

When she got to Hogsmeade, she stood in the middle of the street, watching everyone around her. Everybody seemed to have a date. Lily had always liked solitude but, today, she truly felt alone. Valentine's day had never been a big deal for her, but she realized now that it was because she had never before spent it alone. She had always had a date or she'd come with her friends. She walked down the street and into Honeydukes. There too, she could only see couples buying sweets for each other.

"Someone special you want to buy sweets for, dear?" called the owner, from behind the counter.

Lily smiled and shook her head as she moved between the aisles. She remembered the last time she'd been in Honeydukes and James had gatecrashed her date. Come to think of it, none of those boys had really been right. The longest she'd gone out with any of them, was three or four months. It was like James had been right in his assessment of all her dates. She stopped suddenly. Was she just lost in thought about _James?_ And since when had she started calling him James? She shook her head violently. She was seriously considering sneaking back to Hogwarts and reading something to get her mind off James when a voice called, "Lily my love, where are you?"

Lily froze and peered between the boxes on the shelf to find Anthony in the next aisle. She tiptoed to the end of her aisle and made a run for the exit. Unfortunately, Anthony spotted her.

"A chase it is then, my fair maiden," he declared chasing after her.

Lily dodged couples and chocolate and ran out. She made a few turns and somehow ended up in a narrow alley. She paused for breath. She'd lost Anthony on the way and thanked her stars the boy was rubbish at physical activity and the crowds were pretty thick that day. She spotted a familiar building at the mouth of the alley and headed to it.

Madam Puddifoot's place was pink and packed with couples from what Lily could see through the windows. She grinned as she saw the various couples giving each other soppy looks and touching each others' hands shyly. The grin died on her lips as she saw the couple closest to the window – Jenny and James. Both of them smiling sincerely at each other. James ruffled his hair as he asked Jenny something softly. She blushed and nodded. Lily watched as they started leaning in. She turned away quickly and walked back down the main street. Somehow, she felt more alone than before.

X-X-X

While Lily had been running for her life from Anthony, James and Jenny had been having an amazing time. What had started off as an argument about quidditch teams had ended up in a conversation about their lives. James had found himself liking Jenny more and more. He felt as though she was the right girl – something he'd only ever felt about Lily. He couldn't help but notice the similarities between the two girls. They were both smart and hard working and fun to be with.

They had stopped at Honeydukes for a while when Jenny had touched his arm lightly.

"I know this is rather cliché for Valentine's Day but do you want to go to Madam Puddifoot's?" she asked.

"Sure, I'm always a romantic at heart," James replied, smiling at her.

After a round of coffee, Jenny said, "You know, all my dates on Valentine's Day have never been so much fun. Not to mention they were never more than first dates."

James ruffled his hair nervously as he leaned in to ask her a question that was on his mind all day. "Do you think you'd want to go on a second date and maybe many more with me?"

She blushed and nodded. As she'd looked up at him, he knew she wanted him to kiss her and he wanted it too. As he leaned in, he never noticed the redheaded girl watching them from the window turn away with a look of joy at seeing her friend happy, but with a tinge of disappointment and loneliness on her face.

X-X-X

Lily walked down the main street, hands in her pockets, head down. Suddenly, someone came running out of an alley and crashed into her.

"Watch where you're going!" she said, annoyed. She looked at the person, "Sirius?"

"Lily! Come one let's go to the Three Broomsticks," he said and before she could say anything, he pulled her into the pub.

"What happened to you?" she asked once they were seated at a table, Butterbeers in hand.

Sirius' shirt was askew and his hair was a mess. He ran a hand through his hair, "Amelia Dare," he said ruefully. "She's clingier than an octopus."

"Serves you right," said Lily sternly.

"I told her I needed to se the bathroom when we were going past the Hog's Head. It took me a few minutes to get her ghastly red lipstick off my face, then I sneaked out the back," he said.

"That explains why you smell like strawberry," grinned Lily.

"What's your story, Lily? You've been wandering around all alone all day or did lover boy manage to catch up with you?"

"To tell you the truth, I'm on the run from him too. I haven't seen Alice or Alison anywhere, not even in Madam Puddifoot's. I did see your best mate though. _He _was getting cozy with Jenny," replied Lily.

Sirius smiled knowingly, "You sound a little bitter there, beautiful."

"You try being surrounded by mushy couples all day and running from Anthony Abbot," she muttered.

"Well now you know how James felt when he saw you on your dates. Why'd you ever go out with Abbot in the first place? The guy talks like an old play my mother used to force me to watch."

"I am _not_ jealous of Jenny being with Potter if that's what you're insinuating. I went out with Abbot because we shared a common interest in literature. The boy was so desperate to impress me although he was fine when I first met him that he started talking like a melodramatic Shakespeare. He never stopped in the hope that I might still like him."

"A melodramatic who?" asked Sirius.

"Shakespeare, William Shakespeare. He's this really old, famous writer," replied Lily.

"I think I might've seen Remus with a couple of his books," said Sirius.

"He's not so bad once you get used to the language. In fact, I – oh no, Anthony's found me," Lily said, looking around wildly for an escape route.

Sirius turned around, "Damn, Amelia's right behind him and _she's_ spotted me too. Quick, act like we're together," hissed Sirius.

Lily grabbed his hand and he pretended to flirt with her. "They're not buying it," she muttered and decided it was time for more drastic action. She pointed her wand at his chair, from under the table. It lurched forward, sending Sirius' face crashing into Lily's and she kissed him. He was stunned for a moment until he realized what she was up to and responded. She pulled away quickly to see a disgruntled Amelia walk away. Sirius turned around. Anthony was hurrying away too.

"I think it worked," he said grinning, until he spotted who had been behind Anthony.

James was gaping at Sirius. He suddenly closed his mouth and glared at Sirius before putting his arm around Jenny and walking out.

Sirius gulped as he turned to Lily who was looking as guilty as he did, "Lily Evans, you are going to be the death of me. You're an amazing kisser and all but you're on my off-limits list. How are you going to explain this to the rest of Hogwarts anyway? You don't have a reputation of kissing random guys."

"I have no intention of starting any such reputations either. The official story is that my actual date stood me up and I ran into you. You had already had a couple of illegal drinks too many and couldn't keep your lips off mine. I, being the innocent model student, was too stunned to react," said Lily. She slapped him suddenly.

"Ouch! What was that for?" Sirius demanded.

"For being such a player," she screamed, but added in an undertone, "This is the part where I come to my senses in this whole drama. Meet me outside and apologise like the ashamed boy you're supposed to be." She shot him an evil look and stalked out.

Sirius sat there stunned for a second before chasing after her. "You are an excellent actress, Miss Evans."

"Why thank you. You catch on pretty well yourself but you've obviously had loads of practice lying after your pranks go wrong. The story I made up just now does fit your reputation more than mine," she replied.

He laughed, "What can I say? I like to live the good life."

"I wasn't aware you _had_ a life."

Sirius grinned, "Feisty, smart, witty…yes… I can see why James used to like you so much," said Sirius. He was going to show Remus he could be subtle.

"He doesn't like me now?" asked Lily.

"Well not in that way. He still thinks you're an amazing friend."

"Hmmm…" said Lily. She was quiet and brooding all the way back to the castle.

Sirius couldn't stop smiling to himself.

X-X-X

Sirius headed back to the dorms to find the other three Marauders waiting for him, their arms crossed and faces stern.

"I can explain," he said hurriedly.

James suddenly punched him. Sirius stepped back. "Okay, I guess I deserve that for enjoying the kiss but definitely not for doing it. She started it," he said.

"Don't lie. I saw you practically shove your face into hers," said James angrily.

"That would be because of a jinx that she used to make my chair fall forward. I know she's off-limits. I wouldn't kiss her. Besides, I'm trying to make her best friend go out with me and that won't happen if I start dating _her_ now, will it?" said Sirius.

"He has a point," said Remus.

"How did _your_ date go?" asked Sirius, grinning at James.

"Excellent! I asked her out and she said yes. Jenny really is amazing! She's' smart and funny and really hardworking but that's expected because she's a Hufflepuff. She's really kind and understanding too," started James.

Sirius muttered to Remus while James was lost in praise about Jenny.

"Should I tell him Lily was jealous and had no idea about it?"

"No way, I haven't seen him this happy in a while. I don't want to get his hopes up and then crush them If Lily doesn't even realize she's jealous," replied Remus.

"Good point. How was your day? Did you manage to corner Mary yet?" asked Sirius.

"No, not yet. I couldn't find her at all and Peter had the map. But I did see Alison."

Sirius face perked up.

"She was stomping back up to the castle muttering about Ken Adams being an arse and never wanting to go on a date with him again," continued Remus.

Sirius was smiling broadly, "She'll need a shoulder to cry on then! Let's go to dinner." He practically bounded out the dorm.

Remus hook his head at his love struck balmy friends, before he remembered that he was as balmy as they were.

X-X-X

Sirius bounced into the Great Hall to find Alison in a good mood. "Hey Alison, I heard you dumped Ken Adams. Need a shoulder to cry on?" he said, winking.

"No way! I'm so happy to be rid of him. I heard about your date. It was certainly more interesting than mine. Didn't think you'd be stupid enough to go for an off-limits girl," she said.

"Oh, shut up," said Lily, smiling, "Although, I'll have to admit, that was one of the best kisses I've had in a while."

"Are you kidding? That had to be _the_ best kiss you've ever had! But don't get your hopes up Lilyflower, you're off limits," said Sirius.

"There it is again," said Lily, suddenly. The smile was gone from her face. "Who declared me 'off-limits'? Potter?"

The look of dread on Sirius' face was enough for an answer.

James happened to walk in at that moment with Remus and Peter.

"Potter," called Lily, "I want a word with you."

James looked apprehensive. "Any idea what I've done this time?" he muttered to Remus. Remus shook his head, confused.

"Well?" he asked, reaching Lily.

"What do you mean by, I'm 'off-limits'?" she asked.

James went red, "I just don't like everyone you date."

"since when is it any of your business?"

"Since you start kissing random people."

"Hey, I'm not random," muttered Sirius. The Hall was completely silent. You couldn't blame the students really, it had been ages since they'd seen a god James and Lily fight.

"Sirius is your best friend, don't you even trust him?" Lily demanded.

"I do, but today it's Sirius. What if it's someone else tomorrow?" said James.

"so what? I can kiss whomever I want to. It's none of your business. Why should you be allowed to get cozy with Jenny Foster but I can't enjoy one accidental kiss?" she shouted.

"That's different," James retorted.

"How? Why should I be off-limits? You have a girlfriend now!"

"So you actually want to date Sirius?"

"No! But this has happened earlier too. You ruined all my dates and scared all the guys off," she screamed.

"Maybe I was just trying to look out for you~" James shouted back.

"You're not my father. You have no control over which boy I go out with or what I don't do with them. Friends don't declare their friends as 'off-limits' just because of a stupid old crush," she snapped.

"Alright then! See if I care what you do on your next date with a loser. You're right, I shouldn't care what you do when I'm dating Jenny!" he shouted.

"Fine!" said Lily.

"Fine.

James walked away. He was still seething with anger. He'd been so happy but now he'd have to explain to Jenny why he still considered Lily to be off-limits for the other boys. He was sure she'd understand that he was giving up on Lily and just needed some more time. But, he did feel guilty about having turned Lily into an _object_ that only he had a claim on. He didn't want to speak to Lily again. He'd only wanted to be friends but now she'd brought up the past again.

X-X-X

Lily was seething with anger too. How dare her treat her as an _object_ that too when he was already dating someone? She'd only wanted to be friends but now he'd brought up the past again.

"**Did their friendship survive?" asked Albus, anxiously.**

"**They made it work, but not before a lot of drama happened and James came to his senses and accepted that he was in the wrong. Lily accepted that she'd blown up the issue a bit too much too," said McGonagall.**

"**It's a wonder they managed to get their project done," said Snape.**

"**Well, they almost did blow it up once," chuckled Dumbledore.**

"**Why? What happened?" asked James.**

"**See, James decided to spend more time with Jenny which annoyed Lily although she said it was only because they needed him for the project. They had an argument that could have blown up the potion and their love lives if Dumbledore hadn't intervened," said McGonagall.**

"**I must admit, of all the formidable foes I've faced and all the scary things I've seen, nothing has scared me more than that fight of Lily and James. It was extremely dangerous and could have blown up the entire school if I hadn't stepped in. Their fights were explosive but very entertaining," said Dumbledore, smiling fondly. **

"**Let me tell you about all that happened over the month," said McGonagall.**

**

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**

_**PLEASE READ:**_

_Did you like it?__ Anyway, I just remembered to put this AN up..._

_I won't be able to update very often from now on...I'm really sorry, I just got to an interesting part of the story, but I have some very important exams this year...I'll try to put up a new chapter every two weeks or so till the end of January but after that, I can't guarantee more than a chapter a month till May...I'm really sorry about that! I'll try to have the next chapter up by Christmas...I'm a little busy this month, so I don't think I can manage it earlier. But I'll promise a nice interesting chapter next!_

_What did you think of this chapter and the story so far? Please do review and let me know! I appreciate all your reviews and any suggestions are welcome! At least five reviews again?  
_


	19. Chapter 18

_Happy new year! I finally managed to finish this chapter. I'm not all that happy with it, it just seems like all Lily and James do is fight through my story...but I can promise that this will be the last Lily and James fight and lots of cute moments (I hope!) and lots more drama will be coming up soon..._

_Thanks a lot to everyone who reviewed/subscribed/favourited my story! It feels really good to read all your reviews and know that there are some people who like to read what I'm writing! Thanks a million!_

_I'm sorry about the really tiny bit of Albus/James/Severus/Dumbledore interruption in this chapter. I did try to squeeze in more but couldn't manage it..._

_Anyway, enjoy reading!_

_Disclaimer : I don't own Harry Potter.

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_

"Evans, can we finish a little early? I have a date with Jenny," said James as Lily added more rose essence to the Amortentia.

She frowned at him, "That's the fifth time this week."

"Well some of us have a life you know," said James, curtly.

"Fine. Suit yourself then," said Lily.

James nodded at them and left.

"Okay, that was downright rude," said Alison.

Sirius gazed at the door James had just left through. He knew James was trying to stay away from Lily, but he was overdoing it a bit. "Come on," he said, "this potion's worrisome enough, we can't waste time worrying about James too."

Lily nodded and stirred the potion. She stopped suddenly and stared at it.

"What's wrong?" asked Alison.

"That's odd," said Lily, "The potion was pale pink a few minutes ago. Now, it's turned magenta."

"Let's not continue then, we could do more damage to it. How about we head to the Library and figure out what's wrong with it?" said Sirius.

"I never thought I'd see the day when Sirius Black would suggest going to the library voluntarily," said Alison.

Sirius winked at her, "I'm a man of many tastes."

"That's obvious from all the different types of girls you've dated," said Alison.

Lily was only half-listening to them. Her mind was far away, thinking about James. She knew he had to spend time with Jenny but he didn't have to do it when they were working on the potion. He was becoming more and more insufferably by the day. She pulled out a stack of books when they reached the Library and disappeared behind them, not taking in a single word of what she was trying to read.

A few shelves away, Albus Dumbledore, looked at the three students. His blue eyes took in Alison and Sirius' worried glances at Lily before resting on the redhead. He hoped she'd figure out what was wrong before it was too late.

X-X-X

Over the next week, the same thing happened. James would leave early, leaving the others to finish his part of the work too. They were reaching a more complex stage in their project and coping with James' absence was becoming more difficult. By the end of the week, James was leaving earlier every day. One day, he stayed for about half an hour and left without so much as a backward glance at the others, not even asking for their permission.

"Why, the nerve of that arrogant prick!" exclaimed Lily, staring after James, "he can't just walk away like that!"

"Do you want me to bring him back? I have no qualms about being rude to him or Jenny," said Sirius.

"No, it's alright. Who knows how long it'll take to find him. If you leave too, we'll find it more difficult to get any work done," said Lily.

Sirius nodded, "I'll have a word with him later though. He's not being fair. He _was _the one who suggested we try brewing this potion. He can't just back out of all the hard work. Heck, _I'm_ staying and sharing the work and he can't?"

"It's Potter. HE doesn't know what right is," said Lily darkly. Sirius looked at her concerned. He had a feeling that James walking away wasn't the only thing bothering her. Lily stirred the potion slowly. "I don't believe it!" she said, frowning at the cauldron suddenly.

"Let me guess. It's turning dark again?" sighed Alison.

"It can't do that! We've been working our butts off here and it chooses this week, when we're so close to being done with it to change colour? It's been getting darker all week," said Sirius.

"But we aren't doing anything wrong. I even stopped improvising. I'm following the official instructions to the letter," said Lily.

"None of the books mention this either," said Alison.

"I've been in enough pranks to know when it's getting dangerous. We'd better stop for the night," said Sirius.

"But we barely started," protested Lily. Sirius gave her an I-know-what-I'm-talking-about look. She gave in and packed her things.

She sat by the fire in the common room, trying to do her Charms homework. She glanced around the room. Remus, Sirius and Peter sat around a table a little distance away. James wasn't back from his date yet. Lily glared at her essay hoping savagely that he got caught by the Prefect on patrol duty.

"What's bothering you Evans?"

Lily turned quickly to see Sirius smiling down at her. "Can I sit down?" he asked.

She nodded. "Nothing's bothering me," she added.

"Oh come on, I haven't spend nearly a month in your company for nothing. I can see it in you face. Besides, you're top of the class in Charms. You wouldn't be glaring at your homework," replied Sirius.

"I'm fine," she insisted.

"You're not, something's clearly bothering you," he said, pushing his hair out of his eyes.

That set Lily off. "You're right. Something's wrong. But it's not with me, it's with your sorry excuse of a best mate," she snapped.

"He has been acting like an imbecile lately, and that's saying something coming from me. Why didn't you let me find him today? It wouldn't have taken too long. What was the real reason?" said Sirius gently.

Lily sighed, "I'm no fan of his, but you're like a brother to him. Even if Potter and I fight, it's not such a big deal, we did it almost everyday. But with you, it's different. I don't want to come in the way of your friendship."

Sirius stared at her. "Lily, I've said it before, and I'll say it again – you think too much."

Lily smiled slightly, "I know. It's not just that though. Amortentia is a difficult potion. I didn't even think we'd get this far with it. The only reason I've been going with it is because Potter seemed so confident that I could do it. But now-"

"With him leaving, you feel like he's lost that confidence in you," finished Sirius.

Lily nodded miserably, "I set too much store in what other people think of me."

"Lily, you hear from nearly ten people a day that you're brilliant. Why does James' opinion matter so much to you?" he asked.

Lily shrugged, "I don't know. If I did, I'd have fixed the problem."

Sirius looked at her knowingly. He realized that deep down; she really liked James but didn't want to acknowledge it. "Look don't set so much store by James' words alright? You are the best Potions maker I've ever known. We'll get this done whether his faith is in it or not."

Lily smiled, "Thanks for coming over and talking to me, Sirius. It really cheered me up," she said, sincerely. "Why can't you be this sensitive and nice around Alison?" she added, smirking.

Sirius sighed as he got up and patted her on the shoulder, "For the same reason James could never stop arguing with you. It's the only way I can talk to her. Otherwise, I'm terrified of saying something wrong and screwing up any chance I have at a relationship."

"**What was wrong with the Potion? Was someone sabotaging it?" asked Albus. **

"**Oh no. It was protected well. The fault was theirs," said Snape.**

"**But they were doing exactly what the book told them to do," said James.**

"**Oh yes," said Dumbledore, "but Amortentia is more than just following a set of instructions."**

"**We're almost at that part anyway," said McGonagall, continuing.**

Lily, Alison and Sirius went to work on their potion the next day.

"Where's Potter?" asked Lily.

"I don't know," admitted Sirius.

"Let's start, he's probably on the way," said Alison.

They began their work, but James didn't show up at all. By the end of the evening, the potion had turned even darker and they gave it up. When Sirius got to the dorm, he found James on the bed.

"Why didn't you show up?" Sirius demanded.

"I had some really important stuff to take care of," replied James.

Sirius let it go. He didn't think James would intentionally ditch them. However, when the same thing happened for the next two days, Sirius got suspicious. With Lily's help, they were managing the work between the three of them, but they were feeling the strain. Lily had decided to give everyone an evening off and Sirius failed to mention that to James. He intended to find out what was so important to James that he'd missed there evenings of work. He was walking back to the common room that evening, when he found to door to the room where they did their project ajar. He pushed it open to find-

"Lily?"

The redhead looked around, startled.

"What are you doing here? I thought you said we wouldn't be working on the project today," he said.

"I know, but it's gone so wrong and I've been trying to fix it. Without Potter, everyone's workload would have increased too much and you couldn't have coped with it," she said.

"So you've been trying to do it all by yourself? I thought we were doing too little extra work," said Sirius.

"I've been sneaking back every night trying to see what I can do. It's just that I keep thinking about Potter, and for some reason, that seems to make the potion worse," she admitted, distressed.

Sirius remembered Alison telling him that Lily slept in late every morning and looked like she hadn't been getting enough sleep. He suddenly walked forward and hugged the little witch. She was surprised but hugged him back. "Stop thinking that everything's your fault. Remember what I told you about Regulus? Well, when I left, the hardest part was that I couldn't care about anyone as a big brother anymore. But over the last month or so, that's changed. I've known you for a short while but I think of you as my little sister already. I couldn't protect Regulus from my parents, but I_ will_ protect you from yourself. We'll all help Lily. You don't have to do everything alone," said Sirius.

Lily pulled away, "Thank you." Her eyes were full of gratitude.

Sirius nodded, "Now come on. Leave that potion alone and go back and get a good night's rest for once," he said, pulling her out of the room and locking the door. They were only a few rooms away from the portrait hole when they heard giggles from behind a tapestry. Lily frowned and pulled the tapestry aside to tell off whoever it was for being out so late.

Sirius and Lily froze.

James and Jenny were snogging each other senseless.

They jumped apart quickly. James looked from Lily to Sirius. He saw hurt flash across Lily's face before pure anger clouded her eyes. Sirius' face was impassive, but his grey eyes were cold and stormy.

"So this is your important job?" said Sirius, scathingly.

Jenny frowned, "I thought you said your potion was almost done?"

Lily looked directly at James' defiant face, "I'll deal with you tomorrow." She walked away.

Sirius looked at Jenny who looked concernedly at Lily. "Go back to your common room. James and I need to have a little chat." James followed Sirius to their dorm. Remus and Peter looked up when the two boys entered the room.

Sirius shut the door and rounded on James. "What the _hell_ do you think of yourself?"

"Jenny's important to me!" said James.

"Oh and we're not? Lily's not?"

"Lily doesn't give a damn about _me_. Why should I care about her?"

"Oh, let's see," said Sirius, "Maybe because she's working herself to the limit! Did you know she's been trying so hard to find out what's wrong with the potion? Did you know that she's been losing sleep over it? Did you know that she's not been letting me talk some sense into your head because she cares too much about our friendship even if it means ruining the project? Did you know how much she valued your faith in her? Did you know that by running off, you made her believe that she's incapable of brewing such a complex potion? Did you know that you're making her feel that her blood status is the reason she can't brew it? But no, you're too busy doing _important_ stuff like snogging the living daylights out of your girlfriend!" Sirius shouted, jabbing his finger into James' chest at he end.

James glared at him, "Fine! I'll show up tomorrow if that's what you want!" he shouted back, climbed into bed and pulled his hangings around him. Sirius was tempted to shout at him some more but decided to let Lily have her share the next day.

The next evening, Sirius and James found Lily and Alison already working on the potion. Lily looked up, "Ah, Sirius. Can you help cut up some Gurdyroot? I thought we could try some unusual ingredients." She acted as if James were invisible.

Sirius headed to the Gurdyroot pile. "What about me?" James asked as Lily stirred the potion.

Except the tightening of her grip on the stirrer, Lily gave no indication that she'd heard.

"That's it," muttered James. He marched up to Lily and grabbed her hand, preventing her from stirring the potion. "I thought you desperately needed my presence and now you're acting as if I'm not even here. I'm not invisible, Evans!"

"Oh really? You've been making yourself so scarce all these days, we've gotten used to working without you. You might be invisible since you're never usually seen around this time of day," she shot back angrily.

"Well forgive me for wanting a life! I don't want to turn into a studious nerd like you," he said.

"Well forgive _me_ for not having an inheritance big enough to support three generations and having to work hard in school to ensure a decent career especially thanks to my status in your society!" Lily screamed back.

They were glaring at each other over the potion now, too intent to see it turning even darker.

"It's just one project! Just find an easer one," shouted James.

"Er, guys-" began Sirius.

"You were the moron who convinced me to do this. You can't just back out now!" shouted Lily.

"Guys-" said Alison, her eyes widening.

"Who asked you take my opinion on that? You never took me seriously any other time!" said James.

"Lily, I really think-" said Alison.

"So all this was just a joke to you?" screamed Lily.

James took a deep breath to retort but Sirius shouted, "OI"

"What?" they both demanded turning to him and Alison.

Alison pointed at the potion between them. It was now completely black and rocking violently. Wherever it splashed the floor, the stone was bubbling like acid.

Lily swore as she put out the flames under the cauldron. "Evanesco!" she shouted. The potion remained in the cauldron instead of vanishing.

"Scourgify!" said Alison. The potion in the cauldron didn't vanish but the splashes on the floor disappeared. The others took the hint and started cleaning up the floor before the potion splashes ate right through it.

"We have to get out of here. The potion's going to explode," shouted Sirius.

"We have to stop it. The whole school could blow up," James shouted back, over the bubbling cauldron.

"This is all your fault!" Lily screamed at him.

"_My_ fault?" he demanded.

"If you'd done your job much better, we'd never be in this position."

The potion was rocking even more violently now.

"Oh yeah? Well let me tell you something-" James began.

"Enough!" shouted a voice. They all froze and turned to the door. Albus Dumbledore stood there with his wand out.

"Get out, all of you," he commanded. They obeyed immediately. He quickly cast a shield charm around the cauldron and locked the door just in time.

Outside, Hagrid looked up as a resounding BOOM sounded from the castle and the entire building shook visibly. He could even feel the vibrations across the grounds. HE doubted the castle would be harmed as it was built to withstand magical explosions. But, he had a feeling only Lily and James could have caused such an explosion.

Inside, the four students sat in Dumbledore's office, looking guilty.

"Sherbet lemon?" he asked offering around a box, calmly. When they all shook their heads, he looked at James, his expression turning grave, "You suggested Amortentia to be your project, I believe. Professor Slughorn felt that it was out of your league, but I convinced him to let you go ahead with it, since it would have been an extraordinary achievement for a group of sixteen-year-olds."

"I know. I've been acting like an absolute idiot," said James. He looked ashamed of himself. "Was it my fault all this happened?"

Dumbledore looked at them all, "Not entirely. You see, Amortentia is made only people who wish to _use_ it and not generally as a school project. It needs an extra ingredient that those people naturally have in the absence of which, the potion explodes."

All of them looked at him blankly. So, he continued, "The potion needs _love_. The potioneers need to like each other or at the very least, need to be friends. Negative emotions ruin the potion. As your discord and resentment towards one another increased, the potion got worse. It was one of the reasons I suggested that you be allowed to go ahead with the potion. These are troubled times, and only bravery and friendship will help us overcome what darkness lies outside these walls," he said, with a sigh.

The others looked ashamed now too. "So I am the cause of it all," said James.

"No," said Lily, "We're all to blame. We were supposed to work as a team and we didn't. I was the one who was most resentful and a simple talk would have sorted it all out. Instead, I let those negative emotions fester inside me and I'm as much to blame as you are."

"That's better," said Dumbledore, "If you're getting closer to forgiveness and if blowing up the castle is what it takes for you to form bonds of friendship, go ahead, destroy the castle." His eyes twinkled, "You should try the potion again."

"Again?" said Alison incredulously.

"Why not? You came close to succeeding. There are two weeks to the full moon. You can use that time to prepare, mentally and in terms of ingredients and such and try again. You still have nearly two months to finish your project. If you fall behind on schoolwork, I will explain to the teachers and you can catch up during Easter break. All of you are more than capable of the task," said Dumbledore.

Lily and James looked at each other and nodded. "We'll give it a try."

X-X-X

James sat alone on top of the Astronomy tower, thinking. Alison walked in, "Knut for your thoughts?"

"They aren't worth that much," laughed James. "I was just thinking about Lily. I tried to stay away from her hoping I could forget my feelings for her, but look what it made me. I became angry and rebellious and just no _me_."

"You're a teenager, we're allowed to be angry and rebellious. Maybe being with Jenny _and_ Lily is what you need. One friend, and one girlfriend," said Alison.

"Well that's what we've agreed to try now isn't it?" said James. "Why was she so upset when I stopped showing up? After all she said to me on Valentine's Day, I thought she'd be happy."

"See, for all Lily's confidence, she envies you. She believes that you are more intelligent than she is and your faith in her meant a lot. When you stopped coming, she took it as a sign that she wasn't good enough. When she first came here, she was scared – and so was I – of all the blood status stuff. No matter how much you try to let it not affect you, it gets to you after a while. The fact that a distinguished pureblood like you chased after her attention for so long greatly improved her confidence. When you didn't come to help with the potion, she just…took it the wrong way."

"But I wasn't even thinking of blood status! She's too hard to understand."

"James, I've been her best friend for six years, and I haven't understood her yet. She came to care about you when you were friends. Lily doesn't make many friends but she values the ones she has very much. You should apologise to her about Valentine's day," said Alison.

James smiled, "I know just how to do it."

X-X-X

Remus found Lily by the lake. "Hey," he said.

"Hey," she smiled back. Remus waited patiently, knowing that she'd tell him what was on her mind.

"Remus why do _you _think I was so mad at James for leaving us to sneak off with Jenny?"

What Remus wanted to say was 'because you secretly like him and you don't know it yet.' What he _did_ say however, was, "I think you'd come to think of him as a friend and it hurt you to lose another friend after Snape.. You respect his opinions and since he was the one who put the confidence in you to brew Amortentia, his abandonment felt like he'd taken away that confidence.

"Mary says I'm in love with him and refuse to see it."

Remus laughed. IT was such a Mary-like thing to say. "You may have developed a touch of Stockholm Syndrome," he joked.

"I was scared on Valentine's Day, he always gets what he wants," said Lily.

"You don't have to worry, he's going out with Jenny now and he really does like her. You did overreact a bit though."

"I know," Lily sighed. "It's just kind of weird now that he's stopped asking me out. I was so used to it. You're right, I think I'm developing Stockholm Syndrome."

Remus smiled as he walked her back to the castle. He knew she'd go out with other guys now and he wanted to tell her not to do that. But, he thought if he was right about Lily being in love with James, deep down, she wouldn't be able to go out with any guy for too long and this seemed the easiest way to test his theory.

When Lily got back to her dorm, she found a bouquet of roses on her bed. She picked it up. There was a single pink rose in the middle of a bunch of yellow roses. She smiled as she read the card.

_Lily,_

_This entire fight started with Valentine's Day and so I thought I should apologize with roses. I'm really sorry about being such a jerk. I thought we'd be happier avoiding each other, but as that didn't work out, I'm hoping we can be friends again._

_Hoping you'll forgive me,  
James._

Lily picked up the roses and walked down to the Common Room. She found James by the fire. He looked up as she approached.

"They're lovely," she said, "I especially love the pink one."

He smiled back. Lily continued, "We've had our share of misunderstandings. I've been overreacting too, I'm sorry."

"Hey, that's all right. I think our problem is that we spend too much time thinking about our past. I'm sorry too," said James.

"You're right. It's because of our history that we read too much into each other's words and actions. Do you think we can make it work this time?" said Lily.

James understood that she was referring to their friendship as much as the potion. He smiled, "As long as we don't think about what's already happened, I think we'll be fine. So, Lily, can we be friends again?"

"Yes, James, I think we can."

* * *

_I'm considering making Lily and Sirius a couple now...just kidding..._

_Did you like it? Please do review and let me know what you thought!  
_


	20. Chapter 19

_Hey! I was going to put this up last week...anyway, here it is!_

_Thanks for all the reviews! I loved them all! _

_Anyway, enjoy reading!_

_Disclaimer : I don't own HP.

* * *

_

"So you and Potter are friends again now?" asked Alice.

"Yes, James and I decided to give it another try, not just because of the potion, but because we really want to," replied Lily.

"Since when is he _James_ to you?" asked Alice.

"Since last night, when we decided to be friends."

"But that's a huge improvement! Soon you'll be calling yourself Lily Potter," said Alison grinning.

"No I won't! I'm just calling him by his first name," protested Lily.

"Which you've refused to acknowledge for the last five years," Mary pointed out.

"Mary! I thought you were on my side," whined Lily.

"Hey, I'm on the winning side. Let's face it Lils, you've been miserable all last week with James spending his time with Jenny and now you're all smiles because you're friends again. It does seem a little suspicious to me," said Mary.

"I was upset because he ditched our project, that's all! Speaking of suspicious, the way you make yourself scarce whenever Remus is around seems pretty questionable to me," said Lily.

"That's right! I've seen the poor bloke hunting for you all over the castle. Heck, even _I_ don't know how you manage to disappear like that," said Alison.

"I'm doing nothing of the sort. I've just been busy, that's all. Lily's just trying to change the subject," said Mary.

"Alison's got a point though Mary. You _have_ been avoiding Remus. Anyway, we all know Lily and James are a match made in heaven but _you_ are more interesting," said Alice.

"Hey, we are not a match made anywhere! What's up though, Mary? I thought you liked Remus. Are you playing hard to get? Remus is a one-woman guy anyway; he won't stop till he catches you. Or does this have anything to do with that little moment I interrupted in the Hospital wing?" said Lily, mischievously.

"Lily, I swear you're as bad as the Marauders," groaned Mary as Alison and Alice squealed in delight.

"You had a moment? Why didn't you tell us? Give us details, woman!"

Out in the grounds however, things weren't so rosy. James was trying to explain himself to Jenny.

"I don't get it James, why did you lie to me and say your potion was nearly done?" she asked.

"I wanted to spend more time with you, Jenny," replied James.

"But you were leaving your friends."

"You'd rather I spent more time with Lily?"

"No, but Lily's a nice girl and I like her. You shouldn't have treated her that way," said Jenny.

"I know I've been an idiot this past week and I'm sorry about it. I was angry with Lily but that shouldn't have been an excuse to treat her like that. I already apologized to her, so we're going to be friends now. What more do you want?" James said, slightly frustrated at Jenny's questions.

She looked at him, "I just don't want you to spend time with me to get back at her." She looked sad and forlorn.

James' eyes softened as he pulled her to him, "I'm not that kind of guy, Jenny. I enjoyed every moment I spent with you. I wasn't being with you just to get away from Lily," he said, gently. He kissed her, sweet and sincere. "I won't hurt you like that, I promise."

Jenny smiled. He continued to stare at her. "What?" she asked defensively.

"Nothing. It's just…you should let your fall this way, away from your eyes," he said.

"My hair?"

He fiddled with the hair falling around her face. "There. I like that much better."

Jenny pulled out a mirror, "I'd never have thought you to be a hair stylist but this doesn't look bad at all," she said, examining the change.

"I'm not a good hair stylist at all. I can't even tame my own hair. I must've picked it up from Sirius," said James, shrugging. He looked at his watch, "I have to go. I said I'd meet Lily in the Library."

"You'd better get going then," said Jenny.

James ran up to the Library. He found Lily at a table by the window. "Hey, been waiting long?" he asked, dropping his bag and sitting down.

"No I just got here about ten minutes ago. Besides, I could see you from the window, and I saw you were with Jenny so I decided to wait," replied Lily. "What were you trying with her hair?"

"Oh, just a new hairstyle," said James.

"I liked it."

He grinned, "So you find my hair styling abilities marvelous?"

She snorted, "More likely you picked it up from Sirius."

"Why does everyone think Sirius has better style?" complained James.

"It's because his hair falls elegantly into his eyes, while your hair just falls…all over the place."

"So you're crazy about Sirius too?"

"No, just his hair. Come on, _any_ girl would love to have Sirius Black's silky, smooth, soft black hair, especially us redheads. If it makes you feel any better, I've always like your messy look better. Seems like much lesser work in the mornings," said Lily.

"Why, thank you, Lily. I've always loved your hair too. That red is just so _you_. Besides, I've never had the patience to use all the shampoos and gels and stuff Sirius uses," said James, conveniently leaving out that he'd often fantasized about running his hands through Lily's soft, red hair.

"I could never have the time for that. I'm not a morning person. I need my cup of coffee before I can wake up properly. How about you?" said Lily.

"I'm most definitely a morning person. The Quidditch team hates me for it. They can't bear to get up in the morning for practice," said James.

"That would explain why I hardly ever see you lot practice. It's a good thing Danielle Howes is a morning person too then."

"Yeah, she's been a great Captain. We'll be sorry to see her go this year," replied James.

"Maybe you'll be captain next year," said Lily.

"I sure hope so. But Walter Sherwood and Robin Hayden are really good too. And so's Sirius," said James.

Once again, Lily was taken aback by how much James had changed. The old James would never have been humble enough to appreciate that others could be as talented as he was. "Imagine Sirius being Captain!" she said.

"More girls would fall for him I guess," said James.

"That's not even possible. He's been with every girl in the castle, or so he says," laughed Lily.

"He really wants to go out with Alison."

"I _know_. Let's think of how to get them together."

"If we're brewing Amortentia, I can think of some ways," said James, wickedly.

Jenny looked around the bookshelf at the sound of quickly muffled laughter to find Lily and James laughing over something. She smiled as she looked at James' happy face. She grinned at Lily's delight too but the grin suddenly slid off her face. She just realized that the way James had arranged her hair a few minutes ago, was _exactly_ the way Lily did hers everyday.

"**Oooh, so he was subconsciously seeing Lily every time he saw Jenny?" said Albus.**

"**Exactly. She wasn't too pleased with that after a while," said McGonagall.**

"**What was that about Mary avoiding Remus, Professor?" asked James.**

"**Ah of course. Their escapades were quite fun really," said McGonagall, continuing.**

Mary had put a simple tracking spell on her mirror which allowed her to escape Remus every time. She had breakfast early too. Remus walked in to the Great Hall.

"Hey Lily, have you seen Mary?"

"She just left, I think she was going to the Library to do some more research before meeting you for your project," said Lily.

Remus groaned. He'd missed her _again_. He couldn't talk to her while they were doing their project since Jenny and Snape would be there too. Right after they wrapped up their day's work on the project, Remus said, "Mary can I just talk to you for a second?"

"Um, Lily wanted me to help her with her DADA homework. I shouldn't keep her waiting," said Mary.

"This'll only take a minute," said Remus.

Right on cue, Lily walked in, "Mary, I really need help. Sorry Remus, I need to borrow Mary for a bit," she said, dragging Mary out, before Remus could react.

"What was that all about?" said Mary, "I was just lying when I said you needed help."

"I know," replied Lily, "But we decided that we're going to help you get Remus by playing hard to get."

Mary thought for a moment. "Okay. As long as he doesn't think I'm avoiding him because I don't want to be with him, I'm in."

And so, Remus was led on a merry dance all over the castle for quite a few days.

"Alice have you seen Mary?" he asked the next day, after classes.

"Yeah, she was on the fifth floor, in the Transfiguration classroom," replied Alice. As soon as Remus had set off, she pulled out a two-way mirror, "Mary, Remus alert!"

"Right, thanks," said Mary. By the time Remus reached the Transfiguration classroom, Mary was nowhere to be seen. He trudged up to the common room, hoping to find her there, but only her friends were around.

"Alison, have you seen Mary?"

"I think she's in the library Remus," Alison replied.

Remus sighed and went off to the library, only to find another of Mary's friends waiting to send him off in another direction. When he finally returned to the common room, he found Mary sitting with Lily in front of the fireplace.

"Mary," he said, "I've been looking all over for you."

"Why? Is something wrong?" she asked.

"No, I just wanted to talk to you," he said.

She got up and yawned. "Well if it isn't an emergency, I'll talk to you tomorrow, I'm really tired now." She hurried up the stairs to the girls' dorms but flashed a quick challenging smile at him. Lily followed her, giving Remus an amused, apologetic smile herself.

"He looks exhausted. How much longer are you planning to keep this up?" asked Lily.

"Lily Evans! Don't you dare give in to his puppy dog looks so soon!" exclaimed Mary.

Lily smiled to herself. She knew Remus to be quite a Marauder. She didn't expect him to let Mary get away much longer.

X-X-X

Downstairs, Remus smirked as Mary threw him a challenging smile. He'd let her get away this long, but he wasn't a Marauder for nothing.

"**Why didn't he just track her down himself? It can't have been hard," said James.**

"**Lupin was always cautious about his relationships because of his condition. He wanted to make sure that Mary really liked him and it wasn't just a crush. He was making sure she knew what she was in for by going out with a werewolf," said Snape.**

"**Yeah, Severus pretty much analyzed Remus when he suspected him of having a crush on Lily," said McGonagall, "Anyway, it's time for lunch. Why don't you to go down and we'll continue later?"**

**James hesitated, knowing he'd have to meet Rosalie now, "Can't we just have lunch up here?"**

**Al grinned, "Come on, James, be a Gryffindor."**

"**Easy for you to say," muttered James.**

**McGonagall shoved them both out of her office, "The sooner you talk to Rosalie, the better," she said.**

**James peeped into the Great Hall. There was no sign of any redheads. He walked in, "Eat quickly Al, with luck we can get out of here before Rosalie arrives," he said.**

"**James!"**

**Both Al and James winced as they turned around. Rosalie caught up to them, "Hey, how did the counseling go?" she asked, looking at James.**

"**Erm…"**

"**It was great! James finally understood why setting off fireworks in the halls is more dangerous than fun," said Albus.**

"**That's good. You nearly did kill Mrs. Norris last time," said Rosalie.**

**Lunch was a very awkward affair. Rosalie sat with the, and James was thankful that Albus had inherited their mother's ability to come up with good cover stories. He was answering all of Rosalie's questions. James had noticed the relief on her face when she'd seen them. She'd obviously been bored to death all day. Unlike Lily Evans, Rosalie couldn't entertain herself with a book. She loved being around people and being outdoors.**

"**So, is McGonagall letting you off in the afternoon?" Rosalie asked.**

"**Oh… no, she's not," said Albus. "She said she doesn't want another pair like our Uncles Fred and George running around the castle."**

**James didn't say anything. He'd seen the crestfallen look on Rosalie's face. His insides were churning with guilt. She was giving him a chance to be friends and he was throwing it away. He forced himself to meet her eyes. "Hey, it's not even Christmas yet. We still have a lot of break left. This shouldn't take longer than the end of the week. We can spend all our time together then," he said, even attempting a suggestive waggle of his eyebrows.**

**She smiled slightly. "You'd better be off then."**

**James and Albus rose to leave. When they were at the door, Rosalie called, "James."**

**Waving at his brother to go on, James walked back to her. "What's wrong?" he asked.**

"**You're not really getting counseled are you?"**

**Darn, she was intelligent. "No, we're not." James somehow felt it best to be honest.**

"**But you are with McGonagall.," she said.**

"**Look Rosalie, I'm really sorry, but if I told you the truth you probably wouldn't give me this chance at friendship. She's telling us about our family and I want you to know me better as a person before you find out what she's saying, okay?" said James.**

**Rosalie smiled, "At least you told me some of the truth. Thank you."**

"**I'll make it up to you, I promise," said James. HE ran out and caught up with Albus on the stairs.**

"**You told her some of the truth didn't you? She knew we were lying?" asked Al.**

"**How is everyone so perceptive about things?" asked James, throwing up his hands.**

"**It's the Lily Evans genes."**

"**Rosalie's not even in the family."**

"**Oh…right. I suppose you promised to make it up to her?" said Al.**

"**Of course. What do you say about a midnight feast and quidditch match?" said James.**

"**We're not allowed to wander off after dark," pointed out Albus.**

"**And that's stopped you before?"**

"**Good point. I'm in. I think we can get the Wood twins from Hufflepuff and Clara Bell to play. They're staying over here for Christmas. We can make it a Chasers only match," said Al.**

"**Yeah, we need a couple of Keepers though," said James.**

"**I can Keep. I'm more of a Seeker than a Chaser anyway. What about that Ravenclaw Keeper from your year? Michelle Trevor?"**

"**Yeah, I can ask Michelle. She's a fantastic Keeper," said James.**

"**Of course she is. That would explain why she's on the house team."**

"**I don't know where you get the sarcasm from. We need another player," said James.**

"**Tell you what, I'll make a quick detour to the Owlery and ask Scorpius to come down her. He's bored to death at home. He wrote to me saying he's sick of meeting family. He can sneak out with a house elf or something," said Albus.**

"**Yeah, Scorpius is a good Chaser. Plus, I'm sure he'd rather spend a night here with his best friend than his aunts and uncles," said James.**

**When he walked into McGonagall's office, she looked up. "Come in. Where's your brother?" **

"**He just went to the Owlery. He'll be right back," replied James.**

**Albus burst in right on time. "I'm here!"**

"**Did you talk to Rosalie?" asked Dumbledore.**

"**Yeah, we did. Professor can you start telling us the next part now? We want to finish a little early so we can spend a little time with Rosalie," said James.**

"**Alright then, let's begin," said McGonagall.**

It was almost the end of March and Spring was in full swing. Jenny and James were stretched out on the grass by the lake, talking to each other. James sighed contentedly, "I wish every day was as beautiful as this Jenny."

She laughed, "You'd get pretty bored without any excitement, my Marauder."

"I like it when we sit here. Your eyes look greenish in this light and green's my favourite colour," said James. "But I like your blue eyes too anyway," he added.

Jenny just smiled, but a small voice in her head said, "Lily Evans has green eyes." It had been nearly a month since James and his friends had started Amortentia again and James and Lily were getting along very well. James had enjoyed every moment of working with Lily and he had helped his team as much as he could to make up for being absent earlier. The Potion would be finished at the next full moon, a day before their project was due.

"Shouldn't you be meeting Lily now? I thought you'd offered to help her out with your project notes. I have to go to Charms club now, anyway," said Jenny.

"That's right! I'll see you later then," said James.

When he reached the Common room, he found Lily scribbling away at a table by the window. "Hey am I late?" he asked anxiously.

She finished writing her last sentence and looked up, smiling at him, "No, not at all. I started an hour ago, thinking it to be best to get a head start because the pile of notes seemed enormous. But most of our notes turned out to be unnecessary and I finished to sort out everything _and_ finish my Charms homework. It was hardly any work at all. I'm sorry, I'm probably keeping you from Jenny."

"No, that's all right. She had to go to Charms club anyway," replied James.

They both looked out of the window. "Today's such a beautiful day, I'd love to fix it in my mind forever," sighed Lily.

"I'd like to _see_ it again, not just in my mind," said James.

"Why don't you take a picture?" asked Lily.

"No, I want to be able to see the sights and sounds and smells and everything about the day. My mum always told me that I should think of a good memory before I sleep. So sometimes I wish I could see the memory again, not just remember it," said James.

"You want something like a Pensieve, then," said Lily.

"Exactly. But I don't really want to sleep with a stone basin beside my bed," said James.

They talked for a while longer, but Lily's mind wasn't really on the conversation. She'd been toying with the idea of giving James a birthday present next week, but she hadn't been sure of what he might like. He'd just given her the perfect idea. They had studied memory runes and charms in class. She thought she could do what he wanted.

A week later –

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMES!"

"Padfoot it's the crack of dawn," groaned James into his pillow.

"Get out of bed, Prongs! You're of age now, think of all the possibilities. You should be bursting with excitement," said Sirius.

"It's two in the morning Sirius! Can't I burst with excitement later?" said James, sleepily.

"Sirius you're acting as excited as if it were _your_ birthday," said Remus.

"Come on James, wake up. Sirius won't let us sleep either," yawned Peter.

James got up and grinned at his friends. He received an enthusiastic grin from Sirius, a weak smile from Remus and yet another yawn from Peter.

"well, what are you waiting for? Open your presents!" said Sirius.

"Alright, alright," said James, reaching for the first one.

In five minutes, it looked like a cat had attacked the presents. Wrapping paper lay in bits and pieces all over the dorm. Sirius picked up the last one and passed it to James. James smiled at the quirky red and gold snitch wrappings and turned it round. "It's from Lily," he said, surprised.

"What?" exclaimed three voices in disbelief.

He opened it to find a book. " 'The Laws and Rules of the Wizarding World?'" he said disbelievingly.

"Trust Lily to give you something like that on your seventeenth birthday. You'd better read a couple of rules just in case she asks you about them," said Sirius.

James opened the book and laughed. The book was just a cover. Inside was a hollow. The book was a box for what appeared to be a framed, blank canvas. He opened the note attached to it.

_James,_

_Happy birthday! You wanted to see your memories right? Well, all you have to do is wave your wand over the canvas and say "Memoria Visionas," and the memory you're thinking of will play out on the canvas. Have a great day!_

_Lily_

"That is so cool! Try it out!" said Sirius. James pulled out his wand and said the spell. Immediately, a memory of James asleep played on the canvas. He looked up delighted, and found Sirius looking offended. "Are you really that sleepy?" he asked.

James grinned, "You finally got it Sirius." He fell back against his pillows and fell asleep. They woke again in a few hours and headed down for breakfast, lots of people wishing James along the way.

Jenny walked up to him when he entered the hall. "Hey, Happy birthday! Did you like my present?"

"Thank you. I loved your present. I've been needing an alarm clock that only I could hear for ages," replied James.

He walked down the table but stopped when he reached Lily. He looked much happier than he had when he thanked her for gift, Jenny noted.

"Happy birthday," chorused Lily and her friends.

"Thank you! And Lily, thank you so much for the present. I really loved it and it's exactly the way I wanted it," said James.

Lily smiled, "I'm glad you like it." She watched him walk away, happy that she had brought him some joy, glad to know that he had like her present. What she didn't know was that even though he looked at his new alarm clock before falling asleep that night, the last memory that was on the canvas before he fell asleep was that of Lily, and not Jenny, smiling at him.

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_Please review and let me know what you thought!_


	21. Chapter 20

_Hello! Thank you so much for all the reviews! You inspired me to put up this chapter really soon! Thanks to all the person who subscribed to my story as well!_

_Hope you like this chapter..._

_Disclaimer : I don't own HP  
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Sirius, Alison, Lily and James stood on the top of the Astronomy Tower. "Well this is déjà vu," said Alison.

"Yeah but at least this is the end," said James.

"I know. I enjoyed making the potion and all but it was too much work for something that's not even usable," said Sirius.

"It _is _usable, just not in school," said Lily.

"Exactly my point, Evans."

Lily rolled her eyes and added more lacewing flies. "Alright, when the moon's directly above us, James, Alison and I will chant this incantation," she said, holding up a long scroll of parchment. "Sirius, you'll have to add the rose petals all through the incantation – one at the end of each line. Is everyone familiar with the words? We can't afford to make mistakes."

Everyone nodded. Lily glanced up. The moon was almost at its peak. It had risen ages ago. She cast a quick glance at the Whomping Willow. James and Sirius had told her that they would slip down to the Shrieking Shack and chain Remus securely, before coming to the Astronomy Tower. They had forbidden Mary from going to see him. Lily still didn't know how they had sneaked in and out of the grounds though.

"Get ready," said James, interrupting her thoughts.

The moonometer in Sirius' hands chimed as the moon reached its peak. They began the long and difficult incantation, careful not to stumble over any of the words. Finally, after exactly seven minutes, they stopped. The incantation had taken up a lot of their energy.

"Is it ready?" asked Alison.

Lily glanced into the cauldron. It looked exactly as the book had described.

"It should be fine. Let's take it down, we'll know for sure only in the morning," she said. They lugged the cauldron down and fell asleep as soon as they hit their pillows.

X-X-X

Remus woke Sirius and James the next morning.

"Moony! Are you alright?" asked James anxiously.

Sirius sat up and looked at the werewolf too. He had a few deep welts on his arms from the chains and the cuts on his face were healing and he looked tired out, but his blue eyes were twinkling. "I'm much better than I expected. Madam Pomfrey fixed the welts quickly enough. I'm jus tired. I can get some sleep before classes start though. Potions is first and our projects are due today. Shouldn't you two hurry up and see how your Potion's turned out?"

"That's right!" said Sirius, searching for his clothes. By the time they got to the unused classroom, they found Lily and Alison already there.

"Ready to see what we've got?" asked Alison.

"Go ahead Lily, do the honours," said Sirius.

Lily took a deep breath and took the lid off the cauldron. She grinned as she saw the perfect mother-of-pearl sheen that was described in the book. "Congratulations! We just brewed Amortentia," she said, delighted. All of them cheered. James pulled Lily into a hug, suddenly, noticing that she smelled like roses. He let go very quickly, noting the awkwardness of the situation. Sirius and Alison were dancing around.

"Isn't it supposed to smell like what attracts us?" asked Sirius, stopping mid-dance.

"Yes, but it's not ready enough. The smells and the steam rising in characteristic spirals should start by the time we get to class," said Lily.

"I look forward to that," said Sirius, smirking at Alison, who looked wary.

Potions class arrived soon enough. James, Lily, Alison and Sirius were the last group to present their project. All the teams had been quite successful, though none of their potions were nearly as ambitious as Amortentia. At last, they walked forward. Sirius started with an introduction about Amortentia. Alison followed up with its properties. James described the procedure and their experience brewing it. Finally Lily stepped up.

"As you know, Amortentia smells different to everyone depending on what attracts them. Would anyone care to describe what they smell?" asked Lily.

"Why don't we go first ourselves?" asked James.

Lily shrugged and stepped back, letting him take a deep breath. He smiled dreamily, "I can smell…grass- the way it smells early in the morning- lemon wood polish and…roses."

Jenny stiffened in her seat. She had expected James to smell her usual perfume of jasmine. Unfortunately, she knew exactly why he smelled roses. She had passed by Lily in the morning and caught a whiff of her rose scent herself. Lily looked quite uncomfortable too.

Alison stepped forward, noticing Lily's discomfort and tried to take the attention of the class. She took a deep breath of the steam rising out of the cauldron. "I smell vanilla, new muggle currency and…deodorant." She blushed deeply as Sirius passed beside her, leaving no one in any doubt as to whose deodorant it was.

Sirius inhaled deeply, "I can smell cinnamon, strawberries and mint." Lily looked amused at the fact that everything that attracted Sirius had to do with food. Alison, on the other hand, blushed even deeper as Sirius gave her a triumphant look. _She_ used strawberry scented shampoo and had a strange fondness for mint humbugs.

Lily looked slightly apprehensive as she approached the cauldron. James leaned forward slightly. Lily said, "I can smell lavender, old books and…oranges," she said. She looked confused. She hardly took in any of Slughorn's praise. She'd smelled James when he'd hugged her and _he'd_ smelled like oranges. Was that why the Amortentia smelled like oranges to her? She'd never had a particular fondness for the fruit. Or was she only attracted to the smell? Amortentia didn't set in stone _who_ she smelled. She resolved not to think about it as it would only complicate the friendship she and James shared now. She could feel James' eyes on her and ignored him. However, she wasn't aware of the other two pairs of eyes that were watching her, resentfully.

Mulciber glared at Lily and Alison. "Filthy little Mudbloods, they just got lucky brewing Amortentia. There's no way they could be better than us."

"I agree," said Avery. "We should teach them a lesson, especially for humiliating us the other day."

"I think I know just how to do that," said Mulciber, grinning evilly.

X-X-X

Lily and Alison walked back to the Great Hall after Potions.

"So, you smelled James," said Alison.

"I smelled oranges," Lily snapped.

"Which happens to be how James smells. Come on Lily, you know you like him, you always have, deep down. Why won't you just admit it?"

"How do you know I'm just not attracted to the smell of oranges?"

"Because your face doesn't light up when you see oranges nor do you come back grinning after a conversation with an orange, but you do when you come back after spending some time with James!"

"I don't want to ruin our friendship Alison. It's always precarious enough as it is," said Lily.

"So you'll just let things be?"

"I don't even know for sure whether I like him. But –" Lily stopped talking sharply and pulled her wand out. Alison mirrored her as they stood, back to back.

They'd both heard a noise coming from a dark passage on their right. "What is Dumbledore's problem to install a decent lighting system in the dungeons?" muttered Alison.

Suddenly a flash of purple light shot at them. They managed to put up shields just in time. Mulciber and Avery jumped out of the passage, firing more spells.

"Move," shouted Alison. She and Lily separated, jumping to the side. Lily threw a stinging hex at Avery who blocked it. "Sectumsempra!" yelled Mulciber. Lily dived out of the way just in time, but the spell caught Alison on her arm. She screamed as a large gash appeared on her right arm.

"Alison!" shouted Lily, throwing an Impediment Jinx at Mulciber. It hit him square in the face but Avery was still coming at her. Just then, "Stupefy!" shouted a voice.

Lily and Alison looked up to find James and Sirius run down the stairs.

"Alison are you okay?" asked Sirius, worriedly.

"Watch out!" said James, blocking a Stunning spell that Mulciber had sent their way. HE blocked another spell. "It's no use, they're starting to use dark magic. We have to get out of here."

"Close your eyes everyone," said Lily softly. She pointed her wand at the ceiling and said, "Illumina!" A bright flash of light lit up the entire dungeon for a moment. Avery collapsed clutching his face, as the light blinded him, but Mulciber had managed to close his eyes just in time.

"Why you little Mudblood," he snarled, "Cruc-"

"Stupefy," said a strong voice. Mulciber and Avery both collapsed, Stunned.

Albus Dumbledore swept over to the Gryffindors. "Are you alright?" Lily nodded shakily. "Sirius, please take Miss Hayes to the Hospital wing," said Dumbledore. Sirius helped Alison up and led her out.

"You have to expel them, Professor, they tried to use an Unforgivable curse!" said James.

"I can't," said Dumbledore.

"What? Why not?" James demanded.

"Because my job is to protect my students from Lord Voldemort. If I expel them, they'll be recruited immediately," answered Dumbledore.

"They're probably shortlisted anyway," said Lily, looking at the Slytherins with disgust.

"I know, Lily. But this is how it must be. I suggest you and Alison do not wander around alone again. Go back to your common room. I must modify their memory so that they have no memory of trying to use an unforgivable curse," said Dumbledore, nodding at the unconscious Slytherins.

James and Lily walked upstairs. Lily turned to him in the Entrance Hall, "Thank you for helping us."

"I wish I could have helped more. I want to be able to protect you, Lily," said James, running his hand through his hair. He suddenly pulled her into a hug, "Promise me you'll stay safe, love," he murmured.

Lily was surprised at the endearment but brushed it off as something friendly. She hugged him back.

Jenny, however, happened to be passing by and her heart sank as she took in the scene. She had realized that Lily was the only girl James could ever be with, but she'd always had a tiny glimmer of hope that she could change that. She sighed. She knew what she had to do.

X-X-X

"Lily!" called a voice. Lily and her friends turned around. Derek Johnson, a Ravenclaw 6th year was walking up to them. Alice smiled slyly and pulled Mary up the stairs with a meaningful look, leaving Lily alone.

"Hello," said Lily.

"Hey. Congratulations on your success with Amortentia. I really enjoyed your presentation," said Derek.

"Thanks. You did a good job too. 'Besottment Brew' wasn't it?" said Lily smiling, as she took in his handsome features and deep black eyes.

"Yeah. It wasn't a patch on your potion though. I heard your friend Alison was injured . Is she okay?"

"Yeah, I just visited her. She'll be fine," said Lily.

"That's great! I'll…uh…see you around sometime?" said Derek.

"Uh…yeah, sure, I guess," said Lily.

He grinned and hurried away. Alice and Mary jumped out of the alcove they'd been hiding in.

"Lily, forget what I said about you and James being a match made in heaven. You and Derek look hot together!" squealed Alice.

"He does seem nice," admitted Lily, blushing slightly.

"**Noooo! Lily can't go out with someone else!" said Albus.**

**All of them stared at him. "Al, you already know it won't last because she married James in the end," said his brother, looking amused.**

"**Yes, but it's not right! Especially not after James is beginning to be more in love with her," argued Albus.**

"**Were all the Slytherins that prejudiced?" asked James, giving up trying to reason with Al.**

"**A lot of them were. They're much better now, after the second war," said Dumbledore.**

"**I'm glad Scorpius isn't like that," said Al, "He doesn't give two hoots about what sort of blood someone's got as long as it's red."**

"**Yes, Draco has done an incredible job in giving up his old prejudices and letting his son form his own opinions. Anyway, moving on," said McGonagall.**

James and Jenny walked across the grounds, slowly and in silence. "Is Alison alright?" asked Jenny.

"Yeah, she's fine," replied James shortly.

They stopped under a tree and Jenny turned to face him. "What's eating at you James?"

"I don't know. It's just, I feel like an absolute failure for not being able to protect Lily. All I want is to protect her and take care of her and just keep her happy," he replied.

"And what about me?" asked Jenny.

"I really like you Jenny. I'm just a little protective of Lily. I would've done the same for you if you were in that position."

"But you're not as passionate when you talk about me."

"Well I'd probably like you even more if you wore a rose scented perfume instead of jasmine," blurted out James and then wondered why he even said something so random.

"There it is again," sighed Jenny.

"What?" asked James, confused.

"I'm not Lily, James, and you badly want me to be. You've been subconsciously trying to make little changes to me that will make me seem more like Lily," replied Jenny.

James opened his mouth to argue and then closed it again when he realized she was right.

"You love her, don't you?" asked Jenny, gently.

James sighed, "She's beautiful, smart, funny, amazing…I just can't seem to think of a life without her in it. I just want her to be smiling always and blot out all the sadness and prejudice she has to face. You're wonderful, Jenny, but…"

"I'm just not Lily," finished Jenny.

"But we can still make this work. I'll never try to make you like Lily again," said James.

"No we can't James. I've seen the way you look at her, smile at her. You come back with a grin on your face and a bounce in your step after you talk to her. It's just not the same when you're with me. You seem to be more _yourself_ when you're with her. You're constantly paying attention to her, making sure she's comfortable with whatever she's doing. You do it unconsciously sometimes, and that makes it even more obvious to anyone who notices these little details, that you're completely in love with her," said Jenny.

"We have to break up don't we?" he asked sadly.

"Yes, James. You won't be happy with anyone but her and I won't be the one to keep you from that kind of happiness."

"But I promised that I would never hurt you," said James.

"You're not. You have the courtesy to break up with me first and you didn't realize you were trying to make me like Lily. You truly are a great guy and I hope that Lily realizes that very soon," said Jenny.

"I hope that you find someone who'll have eyes only for you too, Jenny," said James.

"I'm sure I will," said Jenny, "Just don't mess up with Lily okay?"

James pulled her into a hug. "Thank you for understanding me so well, Jenny. I really have enjoyed all the moments I've shared with you. I'm really going to miss you," said James.

"I'll miss what we've shared too. Remember, any time you need help with Lily, I'm there for you," said Jenny. Though she was sad, she understood that James loved Lily and deep down, Lily loved him too. It was only a matter of time before she realized it. They pulled away and Jenny ran back up to the castle. James wandered around the grounds. He was near the lake when –

"James?"

He looked around to see Lily leaning against the beech tree by the lake watching the other students splash about. He sat down beside her, not knowing what else to do.

She looked at him, frowning. "Is everything alright? You look strange."

And in that moment, it suddenly hit James. He loved Lily and she didn't know it. He had liked Jenny immensely too and she would no longer be as close to him. He didn't know whether Lily would ever love him. The fear and uncertainty and emotional stress hit him like a tank at that moment. He swallowed past the lump in his throat and managed to choke out an answer to Lily's concerned question. "Jenny and I broke up."

Lily put her arms around him impulsively as he dissolved into tears, not caring who was watching or listening. Lily didn't ask why or when, she just held him there, talking comfortingly. At that moment, both of them knew that they would always be there for each other, at the very least as good friends.

"**Poor Jenny," said James.**

"**Poor **_**James**_**," said Albus.**

"**Hey, Jenny suffered more. She had to compete with Lily for James' attention and Lily didn't even know there was a competition," said James.**

"**I **_**hope **_**Lily doesn't go out with that Derek bloke now, it'll break James' heart," said Albus.**

"**Did the Marauders try to cheer James up?" asked James.**

"**Of course," said Dumbledore cheerfully, "Once they heard what had happened, they came up with a prank. There was a whole selection of love potions in the dungeons, they couldn't pass up the prank opportunity. They agreed it would be worth the detentions."**

**McGonagall and Snape both looked slightly disgusted. "I'm not narrating this part," said McGonagall.**

"**Oh come on Minerva, it was funny," coaxed Dumbledore.**

"**Funny? It was traumatizing," said Snape, shuddering.**

**Dumbledore chuckled, "Since Minerva seems reluctant, why don't **_**I**_** tell you about this bit?" **

"**Do you have to Dumbledore?" groaned McGonagall.**

"**Yes!" said both boys firmly. "Go ahead Professor Dumbledore."**

**So, Dumbledore continued the story.**

Sirius and Remus managed to steal some of the weaker love potions and add it to a few choice goblets before dinner. One of their victims happened to be Minerva. Now, they put a selective potion in Minerva's goblet so that she would only be infatuated with the person she saw first after drinking from it. The Marauders had planned for that person to be me.

Peter created a distraction in the Entrance Hall by setting off a couple of dungbombs. Minerva yelled herself hoarse at him and Sirius brought her the spiked goblet.

"Would you like some juice, Professor?" he asked innocently.

"Thank you Mr. Black," she said, taking it.

Sirius moved out of her way quickly. Remus joined him. "Dumbledore's right behind me," he reported.

I was indeed in the Entrance Hall and would have entered next if Professor Flitwick hadn't stopped me and engaged me in a fascinating conversation about the Fidelius charm. As Minerva's luck would have had it, the person she did see first was Severus Snape.

Remus stared at Sirius, shocked at the turn of events.

"Darn! Should we abort the plan?" asked Peter.

Sirius stared at McGonagall who was looking perplexed and then started looking at Snape with a lot of interest. A slow smile spread across his face, "No, Peter. This ought to be interesting."

"I know, it's totally going to be worth the detentions," said Remus.

"Severus Snape," said McGonagall.

The hall went quiet. Everyone thought he was going to be punished for something.

"I would love to run my hands through your soft black hair," she said.

The Hall went even quieter than before. James' laughter broke the silence. The rest of the Hall realized what must be going on and burst into laughter too. I walked in just in time to hear Minerva say, "Your deep, black eyes pierce into my soul. I love you Severus!" She tried to put her arms around him but he backed away looking like he wished he'd never been born.

As other people took a drink from their goblets, they too began professing their love for others. Paul Collins and Jeffrey dale sang a most memorable love ballad for each other. Those who hadn't had their glasses spiked were crying with laughter. It was one of the best Marauder pranks yet. James was laughing the hardest, all sadness forgotten for the time being.

Finally, Remus and Sirius gave everyone the antidote. McGonagall walked up to them. The Hall went quiet again. She stared at them and then-

"That had to be one of your best pranks yet," she said, laughing.

The Hall was stunned.

"Er…Professor, are you all right?" asked Sirius uncertainly, wondering if this was some side effect of the love potion.

"I'm quite alright, Mr. Black. It's just that there have been some pranks of yours that I've always wanted to laugh at and couldn't because I'm a teacher. Since I've already made a fool of myself today, I might as well laugh," she explained.

A grin spread across Sirius, Remus and Peter's faces when they realized that she wasn't crazy. The Hall burst into applause and joined in the laughter.

Suddenly, Minerva said, "Oh and Mr. Black, Mr. Lupin, Mr. Pettigrew?"

"Yes, Professor?"

"50 points from Gryffindor and a week's worth of detention for all of you."

**The boys burst into laughter again.**

"**Professor McGonagall, you are a great sport," said Albus, appreciatively. **

"**Thank you. That memory is rather mortifying though," she replied. **

**Suddenly and owl flew in through the window. "Who's sending letters now?" asked McGonagall, reaching for the letter but Albus knocked her hand away and grabbed it first. "It's mine," he said, "That's Scorpius' owl."**

"**Oh. You can have a minute to read your letter then," said McGonagall.**

**Albus unfolded it and James leaned in too.**

_**Al, **_

_**Thank Merlin I have a best friend who's human! Tell James his idea's great. My stupid owl delivered the letter to my dad. It's partly your fault though. What on earth made you forget to write my name on the envelope? Anyway, I thought I was going to be yelled at when **_**I**_** read it but dad just grinned and said that **_**he**_** found family meetings as boring as I did and he'll help me sneak out without mum knowing. So, I'm coming! You'd better put me on the stronger team.**_

_**Scorpius**_

"**Right, that settles it then," said James, happily.**

"**What were you settling?" asked McGonagall curiously.**

"**Oh, I was searching for a Charms project partner and I asked Scorpius before anyone else could," Albus invented wildly. **

"**Hmm..." said McGonagall, not really believing him but letting it go.**

"**Could you tell us the next part of the story then Professor? We should leave earlier. We did promise Rosalie that we'd be down a little earlier," said James. He still had to make a few preparations before midnight.**

**McGonagall said, "Very well. The next interesting part happened around Easter…"**

**

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**_This will be the last update for January.__ I have some exams coming up :(_

_Was this chapter a little rushed? Sorry if the duel part sucked...I'm not used to writing them..._

_Anyway, let me know what you thought with a review please!  
_


	22. Chapter 21

**_JUST A REPOST! I SPOTTED A COUPLE OF ERRORS AND WANTED TO FIX THEM..._**

_Hey everyone! Here's the latest chapter! There's a pretty long author's note at the end, so I'll leave you to read this now._

_Thanks for all the reviews! 162 reviews! That's an achievement for me considering this is my first big story, so thanks a million! Keep reviewing. Oh and thanks for wishing me luck on my exams too.  
_

_Hope you like this chapter._

_Disclaimer : I do not own HP..._

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"You sure you don't want our help with Mary, Moony?" asked Sirius.

"You lot are more likely to scare her off," said Remus grinning.

"Aha! Here it is," said James, extracting a worn piece of parchment from the bottom of his trunk. "It's been so long since we've needed it that I was afraid we'd lost it."

Remus pocketed the parchment. James clapped him on the shoulder. "Ready to go Remus?"

Remus nodded. Sirius wiped away an imaginary tear, "Aww, our little boy is all grown up."

Remus whacked him on the head before he went down to the common room. "Hey Alice," he said, approaching the brunette by the fire, "Have you seen Mary?"

"She's in the greenhouses Remus," replied Alice.

"Right, thanks," said Remus. Outside, the common room, he found the first empty classroom and pulled out the parchment, scanning it quickly. "Greenhouses, my foot," he muttered to himself. He tapped the parchment with his wand and set off in the direction of the Library.

"**You wouldn't by any chance know how he knew where to go from a piece of parchment would you?" asked McGonagall, pausing the story and looking expectantly at the boys.**

**They looked at each other and answered simultaneously, "No."**

"**Well you'd better keep a hold of all your spare parchment," she said suspiciously before continuing.**

Mary looked up in alarm when she saw Remus enter the library. Alice had told her he had gone to the greenhouses in search of her. She got up as his eyes caught hers and disappeared among the shelves. She maneuvered her way through the tall bookcases heading to the back. IT was deserted all the way at the back of the Library and she was beginning to panic when a hand fell on her shoulder. She squealed and reached for her wand when another hand grabbed her wrist.

"The Library's pretty much my home ground you know, you won't slip away from me here," said an amused voice.

Mary relaxed when she heard the voice but had to force herself to look up and meet Remus Lupin's twinkling blue eyes. She stepped back and hit a bookcase. He put a hand on the shelf, beside her head, cornering her and looked at her. Mary's heart beat faster as she noticed how close he was, his sandy brown hair falling into his forehead.

"How did you find me?" she managed to ask.

His eyes lingered on her lips as she spoke before meeting her eyes again. "I'm a marauder, I have my ways," he said, the Marauder arrogance in his voice. "Why have _you_ been avoiding me?"

"I-I was afraid."

He drew back immediately, looking away. "Oh," he said, "I'm sorry. I should never have imposed myself on you. You know what I am. You have every right to be afraid. I'll leave now."

He turned around but Mary grabbed his wrist. "No!" she said.

Remus turned around again, eyes full of hope.

"I was afraid that I would finish that sentence from the Hospital Wing and you wouldn't say it back," she said, blushing crimson.

Remus smirked and resumed his earlier position, with Mary's back to the bookshelf. "I did think you seemed more embarrassed than afraid. And what exactly was the end of that sentence going to be before Lily interrupted us?" he asked.

"Oh don't act all innocent," said Mary with an abrupt return to her usual self.

"But I am innocent."

"Shouldn't the guy be the first to say this anyway?"

"But the guy doesn't know what he should be saying," said Remus, his eyes twinkling even as he kept up an innocent tone.

Mary looked into his blue eyes, losing herself in their depths for a second. She forced herself to regain control of her senses. "I was going to say that I like you. A lot. Very much. Excessively."

Remus' grin broadened, "In that case, I'd have to say that I like _you_ a lot too. Very much. Excessively. So much that I would like to ask if you would do me the honour of going out with me."

"I would love to," she replied.

Remus' eyes flicked to her lips again as he moved closer and closer.

Mary slipped out from under his arm before he could close the gap.

She wagged a finger at him mischievously, "Not so fast. I'll see you in Hogsmeade on Saturday?"

"You'll see me much earlier than that."

"I look forward to it."

Remus looked at her retreating form and grinned, "She's a real Marauderette," he said softly, fully understanding for the first time how James felt about Lily.

"**Hurray!" cheered Albus, "Remus did it!"**

**James grinned at him. "If you're going to be celebrating so much just for Remus what will you do when James and Lily get together?"**

"**Well that'll take a while anyway," said Dumbledore.**

"**And it was made all the more difficult by one Derek Johnson," said McGonagall.**

"You shouldn't worry about all that."

Lily jumped as a voice spoke right into her ear. She turned around and backed away when she found James' face alarmingly close. "No," she sighed, "I guess I should worry more about you scaring the living daylights out of me."

She moved over on the couch to let James sit down too. He pulled the paper she had been frowning at out of her hands.

"You can't keep me oblivious to what's going on out there you know. I can take care of myself and while ignorance may be bliss, it's also foolish," she said.

James glared at the newspaper headline: 'Three More Muggle Families Attacked.' He sighed, "I wish I could shut it all out from you."

"If they have a problem with people like me, if they're afraid that I might be more powerful, then I _will_ put a fight and show them that they have good reason to be afraid," said Lily fiercely.

James smiled slightly at that. He loved it when she got all worked up like that. It made her more _intense_.

"James?" she said, interrupting his thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"There was another article in the paper saying there were rumours about Auror families and anti-Voldemort pureblood families harbouring muggleborns whose families are attacked. Is it true?"

"Oh yeah. Dad wrote to me saying that Sirius and I should probably expect another person to stay over during summer if he's asked to help someone. We won't mind. There's plenty of room at my place anyway."

"It must be nice to be rich and pureblood."

James looked at her sternly, "Lily you set too much store by what others think of you even though you have this confident exterior. So stop that. You're much better at magic than any pureblood I've seen. I'll bet even Voldemort would recruit you if he weren't the biased snake face that he is."

"I'm not good at all magic. You're much better at Transfiguration."

"You're better than me at both Charms and Potions."

"Never thought I'd see the day when James Potter would admit that I'm better than him," Lily teased.

He grinned, "To be honest, neither did I. I can help you with your Transfiguration if you like. How about we skip Hogsmeade on Saturday and I help you out with any spells you find difficult?" He crossed his fingers behind his back, hoping she'd say yes.

"Oh…Well I have a date on Saturday," she said awkwardly.

"Oh." James' face fell, "That's all right. Who is it anyway?" he asked.

"Derek Johnson from Ravenclaw."

James' eyes flashed. He'd heard things about the guy. He cursed his karma. Of all the guys Lily had gone out with, Derek Johnson had to be the worst and he couldn't do anything about it because of his promise not to interfere with her love life. "Have a nice time then," he said.

Lily smiled, "You're not going to scare him off?"

"No, of course not. I keep my promises. I might keep an eye out for you though."

"I could live with that I guess," said Lily. She noticed the disappointment in his eyes. She felt strange; somehow, hurting James was hurting her too. She hesitated, not knowing why she felt obliged to make James happy.

"Are you going home for Easter?" she asked.

"No, Sirius and I decided to give my parents a break," he laughed.

"Great, I'm not going home either but all the others are and so is Derek. Maybe you could help me with some Transfiguration then? You'll need quite some patience though," she said.

James' face lit up faster than a firecracker. "Of course! As for patience, I've lived with Sirius for 6 years now, I'm sure I can handle you."

She smiled at his enthusiasm but part of her (which she didn't acknowledge) wondered if it would be nicer going to Hogsmeade with James than Derek.

"**What's wrong with this Derek guy?" asked James, looking as protective as his namesake.**

**Snape wrinkled his nose in distaste. "To put it nicely, he was a player. But he was clever. He was known among most boys and few girls for being the kind of bloke who could charm a girl, but then got bored and cheated on her. But he would be careful to not let her find out and it would always end with the girl breaking up with him. He looked like this perfect guy and the girl always came out looking bad."**

"**And Lily didn't see that about him?" asked Albus.**

"**No, he was a real charmer," said Snape.**

"**But, he did help bring Lily and James closer later, although it could have been done with much less drama," said McGonagall, continuing.**

"Hey Sirius," said James, "Do you have a date this weekend?"

"No. Why, Prongs, don't tell me you've fallen for my charm too," said Sirius, grinning.

"I might be under the influence of a residual charm from your Endearment Enchantment mishap," replied James, cheekily.

"That was an accident and it happened a month ago! Anyway, why'd you ask me about Hogsmeade?"

"Lily's got a date."

"I am _not_ stalking her with you again."

"She's going with Derek Johnson."

"You're kidding? You're letting her go with _that_ guy? He doesn't even have the guts to admit that he's a player. He makes _me_ look honourable."

"I promised her I wouldn't interfere with her personal life. But you could follow her and make sure nothing happens," said James. "I would've preferred Remus, he's more discreet but he's occupied that day."

"I'll say," smirked Sirius, "That girl is as saucy as Alison sometimes."

"When are _you_ going to ask Alison out, Padfoot?" asked James.

Sirius sighed, "When I pluck up the courage."

"What about Saturday then Sirius? Will you take care of Lily?" said James.

"Since it's Lily, I'll do it. I'll make sure Johnson doesn't try anything inappropriate," said Sirius.

X-X-X

So, Hogsmeade weekend passed without much excitement. To Lily and Derek's surprise, every time he tried to touch her, he received an electric shock. Thankfully, Sirius managed to stay unseen and they put it down to static because of the dry weather. On Sunday morning, a lot of the students left for the Easter holidays. As Lily helped Alison with her trunk, she waved at Derek who was passing by and expressed a wistful desire to see him again soon. Alison, however, glared at the boy and turned to Lily the minute he was out of earshot.

"You really shouldn't go out with him you know," she said.

"Why not? Alice and Mary seem to like him," said Lily.

"He just feels wrong. And I've heard stories about him that aren't very nice," replied Alison.

"He's just been through some bad relationships. He just had to find the right girl," shrugged Lily.

Alison dropped the subject when the coaches arrived. "Bye Lils. Take care of yourself," she said. "Oh, and have fun with James," she added, winking.

Lily blushed and pushed Alison towards the doors.

"Did someone just say my name?" asked James, suddenly appearing behind her.

"Uh…no, not at all! Oh look, there's an owl coming. It must be for you," said Lily hastily.

James frowned, "I'm not expecting anything and that owl's not familiar either."

Lily watched, surprised as the owl dropped two identical letters in front of them. "They're for us," said James, picking them up and handing one to Lily. Curious, she opened it, eyes widening in disbelief as she read it.

_Miss Evans_

_I have heard of your prowess as a witch. I heard that you and your peers defeated two of my most potential trainees. So much power in one so young and from such a lowly background is admirable. I would like to offer you a position on my team. I am prepared to overlook your parentage in light of your talents._

_Lord Voldemort_

Lily burst out laughing, "Really James, you didn't have to go to such lengths to get me to believe in myself."

James frowned at his own letter, "I didn't send this."

Lily looked at him. "It's just the sort of thing you'd do."

"But I didn't send this Lily. Why would I send one to myself too anyway?"

"Maybe it's Sirius' idea."

James agreed with her and both of them put it out of their minds, forgetting to ask Sirius about it later. Three days of Easter break passed with them just goofing off (or in Lily's case, studying) together. On the fourth day, Lily found James sitting alone in the common room.

"Hey, could you help me out with my Transfiguration assignment? I can't make head or tail of it," said Lily nervously.

James pulled up another chair. "Sure! Just tell me why you find it difficult."

Half an hour later –

"I can't do this, it's too hard," said Lily, waving her wand over the books she was trying to change in to flowers.

"It's not hard," said James patiently, "You're just waving your wand around too much. This isn't like Charms which is all about imagination. It's more precise, more mathematical. You're changing something non-living into a living thing. You have to do it exactly the way it's given." He grabbed her wrist and moved it slowly. "There, see that's all the movement you need to make." He resisted the urge to keep holding her hand and let go quickly.

Lily let out a breath, feeling tingles run up her arm, still feeling the pressure of his hand on hers. She took a deep breath and waved her wand over the books. Immediately they turned into a bouquet of lilies. "I did it! You're the best teacher ever!" she said, happily.

James grinned, "You're an exceptional student." He scooped up the flowers, "For you, beautiful maiden."

"Why thank you, kind sir," said Lily, smiling but blushing at the sincerity in his voice. They were interrupted by a tapping at the window. James frowned as he opened it. An owl dropped two letters in again. He opened the one addressed to him, tossing the other to Lily.

_Mr. Potter_

_I assume you have been busy as no other excuse could have prevented you from answering me. My patience wears thin. My offer to join my inner circle still stands and I expect an answer by return of this owl._

_Lord Voldemort_

James looked at Lily's letter. "Yours says much the same. Wait till I get hold of Sirius, this isn't funny anymore."

Lily looked at him fearfully, yet with a look of deep disgust at the letter, "You don't think this is really from Voldemort, do you?"

Sirius came down from the boys' dorm just then.

"Padfoot, did you send these?" James demanded, flourishing his letter.

Sirius turned pale. He snatched the parchment out of James' hand and scanned it. "You got one too?" he asked Lily.

She nodded.

"This is bad. Burn these _now_. This is the same kind of letter Regulus got when he joined," said Sirius.

Lily looked at her letter, "You mean Voldemort _actually _wrote this?"

"He's running a training camp for Death Eaters and he makes it sound like a job offer. How could he even consider that we might join him? That's disgusting!" said James.

"He tortures people like me and then asks me to join? I'd like to give him a piece of my mind!" said Lily.

"Well it's high time someone did. Why don't you answer him? But you must bear in mind that there will be consequences," said Sirius.

"Dad will take care of our families," said James. He picked up a piece of parchment.

_Voldemort,_

_You can keep your offers to yourself. We are not interested in becoming ugly snake people like you. If your little "trainees" had kept you properly informed, you would know that we hate biased idiots. The fact that we have played 196 pranks on the Slytherins should be proof of that._

_Sincerely,_

_James Potter and Lily Evans_

He gave the letter to the owl which flew away. "Let's see him reply to _that_."

"**Wasn't that both dangerous and stupid?" asked James.**

"**He **_**is**_** your namesake," said Albus, grinning and ducking as James' hand came flying at his head.**

"**Well of course it was and there were consequences. That's the next major point in the story. It happened over the summer of that year. But since you wanted to leave early, I'll tell you all about it tomorrow," said McGonagall.**

**James got up immediately. "Right, thanks Professor, see you tomorrow. Both boys left quickly.**

**X-X-X**

"**Right Al, you go in and get Rosalie to go to bed early. Convince her to get some sleep before midnight," said James when they reached the Great Hall.**

"**The master of smooth-talking, at your service," said Al, bowing. "I'll remind everyone to turn up tonight too."**

"**Thanks," said James, hurrying to the Quidditch Pitch. There was only a crescent moon that evening, so they'd need some light over the pitch and he knew just what to do…**

**X-X-X**

"**This is so pretty! Rosalie is definitely going to be impressed," said Clara Bell, Gryffindor 6****th**** year, looking around the Quidditch pitch. **

"**Don't tell me you're falling for my brother too," said Al.**

"**I'm not really into younger men. And isn't it past your bedtime, squirt?"**

"**Oi, I'm nearly thirteen!" said Albus indignantly.**

**There was a loud crack and an even louder "Al!"**

"**Merlin Scorpius, do you want to wake the whole castle?" Albus hissed as Scorpius arrived.**

"**The staff room and offices are on the other side of the castle. I must say your brother's planned this well. For a Potter," said Scorpius, with the signature Malfoy smirk.**

"**What is this, Insult-the-Potters Day?" demanded Al.**

"**The guest of honour hasn't turned up yet? How'd you get her to go to bed early?" asked Scorpius.**

"**Couple of dungbombs did the trick."**

**Meanwhile, James was trying to wake Rosalie. He poked her.**

"**Hey, Rosalie, wake up." She groaned. He poked her harder this time and she sat up suddenly, reaching for her wand.**

"**Potter! How did you get up here?"**

"**I flew."**

"**Well what are you even doing in here?" she demanded.**

"**We're going to some fun together. I've arranged a little midnight Quidditch match. If you hurry, we'll be right on time."**

**She looked at him and then grinned, "Let me grab my broom."**

**James thanked his stars she wasn't like Lily and didn't start discoursing about the curfew. He put a quick Heating Charm on her before leading her out into the grounds so she wouldn't freeze.**

"**What are those little lights over the pitch?" she asked as they drew closer.**

"**A little surprise. Come on." He grabbed her hand and pulled her along. When they stopped in front of the pitch, he looked at her and his heart soared when he saw the look of utter delight on her face.**

**Rosalie just stared at the pitch. It was covered with little lights that floated around making the place bright enough to play. They were like hundreds of fireflies or candles just lazily drifting around and with the snow reflecting the light, the scene was just beautiful to behold.**

"**Finally!" said Albus. "Come on, let's play already!" **

**James, Albus, one of the Wood twins and Clara Bell were on one team. Scorpius, Rosalie, the other Wood twin and Michelle Trevor were on the other. They tossed a coin to see who got the Quaffle first. James won and he picked up the big red ball.**

"**I won't go easy on you," he smirked at Rosalie.**

"**Neither will I," she grinned back. **

**After a few points, everyone realized that Al was a lousy Keeper. Unfortunately, the Chasers on his team were strong enough to keep the Quaffle away from his goal.**

"**What's the score?" Rosalie asked.**

"**They're leading 50-40," answered Scorpius. **

"**Right, stay near the goalposts, I'll get the Quaffle," said Rosalie.**

**He nodded and shot off towards Al. Rosalie waited till James had the Quaffle and then flew right beside him.**

"**James," she said, "I love you."**

**James dropped the Quaffle. As Albus said later, it was a wonder he didn't fall of his broom too. Rosalie caught the ball and tossed it to Scorpius who easily scored.**

"**What did you say?" James demanded, for once not even bothered that the opponents had scored.**

"**Well I didn't really mean it, but I needed the Quaffle," Rosalie said, winking at him and flying off.**

"**James smirked, "That won't work twice."**

"**Won't need to," she called back.**

**She intercepted a pass superbly, grinning at James as she shot past him and tossing the ball through the hoops while Albus flailed wildly. On their side, Michelle was having no problem saving goals.**

"**Rosalie!" Scorpius yelled, throwing the Quaffle to her. Before she could catch it, James swooped down and grabbed it. "Two can play at that game!" he yelled. She shot after him and slammed into him, making him drop the Quaffle. The Wood twin on her team caught it easily.**

"**What's the matter Potter? Afraid to get rough?" she teased.**

**James had been so used to having her on the house team as a teammate that he'd forgotten how good she really was. "Oh, this game isn't over yet," he said, smiling.**

**They played for a long time that night, Albus' Keeping abilities improved as he got the hang of it, making the match tougher. Finally he yelled, "It's nearly 1:30. How about we end this?"**

"**Last goal!" called James.**

**He threw the Quaffle hard at Michelle but Rosalie appeared out of nowhere, **_**standing**_** on her broom.**

"**Wood!" she yelled, catching the Quaffle and throwing it at him as James came towards her. He caught it and sped off towards Al. Clara Bell and his twin blocked him but he threw the ball to Scorpius who raced across the pitch. **

"**I'm not letting you win," said Albus, as his best friend flew at him.**

**Scorpius feinted to his right and threw the Quaffle right through the middle hoop while Al yelled, "Oh come on!" in exasperation.**

**Scorpius gave him the Malfoy smirk, "You were saying, Al?"**

**On the other side of the pitch, Rosalie was giving James a **_**very**_** similar smirk. "I believe you lost James."**

"**How about a rematch tomorrow night?" he asked.**

**She smiled at that, "I'd like that."**

**They landed with the others. "Right, where's this midnight feast? I'm starving," said Clara.**

"**Right here," said Al, "Think of it as a **_**really **_**early breakfast."**

"**I don't care what it's called, Al, I just think of it as **_**food**_**," said Scorpius, grabbing half the food out of the large basket.**

"**OI! Everyone has to eat that," said James. **

**After a small fight, everyone sat in the stands with plates of food. James and Rosalie sat at the very top of the stands. **

"**It's a beautiful night. Thanks for all this," said Rosalie.**

"**I told you I'd make it up to you," said James, with a cocky smile, looking remarkably like his grandfather at that moment.**

"**I like the winter sky, it's usually really clear," said Rosalie, smiling at the stars.**

"**It's a little cloudy today. But each of those stars are as beautiful as you are," said James.**

"**Are you trying to hit on the stars? Because I don't think they can hear you."**

"**Oops. I meant to say that the other way round."**

**She laughed, "I got what you meant though."**

**They sat there quietly, James surreptitiously moving closer to her.**

"**Oh look, it's snowing!" she exclaimed suddenly. Beautiful snowflakes were drifting down lazily, catching the light and sparkling wonderfully. James looked around. It was only snowing around the Quidditch pitch. He looked down to see the others looking as puzzled as he was. He shrugged, remembering that he was at Hogwarts and all sorts of strange things were bound to happen.**

"**Is something wrong?" asked Rosalie, turning to look at him.**

"**No," said James, putting his hand over the back of hers, "Everything's great."**

**And to him, things got perfect when she turned her hand over, linking her fingers with his.**

**X-X-X**

**Minerva McGonagall lowered her wand, as she watched the students from the Charms classroom, smiling.**

"**You know, as Headmistress, you should be punishing them for being out of bounds so late, not helping them by making it snow," chuckled Dumbledore from a landscape behind her.**

**She turned around, smiling broadly. "You know me Dumbledore. Despite all my hard exterior, I love fairytale endings too. I'm as much of a softie at heart as you are."**

**

* * *

**_Here's the promised long author's note..._

_First of all, I hope you liked the chapter! A big thank you to _Somesets_ for the Quidditch idea, though I changed it to make them Chasers. I didn't go into detail about the match because there's another Quidditch match coming up and I didn't want it to get repetitive...Did you like Remus and Mary getting together? _

_Here's the bad news...I will not be updating this story until the first or second week of May. That's a long time...unfortunately I have (predictably) really important exams all through March and April and I really need to work on them. But I promise that once I come back in May, I will try my best to have two chapters up a week to make up for lost time. I estimate about 9 chapters more to this story..._

_Please, please do stick with me till May! I hope that you'll all come back to read this then...your reviews do mean a lot to me!_

_Anyway, I guess that's about it...Again, I'm really sorry about making you wait for so long...but do stick around!_

_I hope you liked this chapter! Please do review and let me know what you thought!  
_


	23. Chapter 22

_Hi! Remember me? Hope you're all still interested in reading this story! I'm finally done with all my exams and I can get around to finishing this story. This is pretty much just a filler chapter to show how close James and Lily got because I can't exactly make them fall in love overnight..._

_Thanks for all you_r _amazing reviews! I'm really inspired to continue this story now..._

_One of my friends pointed out that she'd read a scene in another story that was very similar to one in mine. So I just want to let everyone know that I really don't mean to plagiarize anyone's stories and it's only pure coincidence that anything looks the same.  
_

_Anyway, hope you like this chapter._

_Disclaimer : I don't own HP. I also don't own a few lines of the Brandon/Madeline story you'll see...  
_

* * *

**McGonagall looked up as the door to the Head's office swung open. "You're a little late," she said.**

"**Didn't sleep all that well last night," said Albus, stifling a yawn, "and James wanted to wait for Rosalie during breakfast.**

"**Ah yes, how did your evening go?" asked McGonagall innocently. Snape snorted behind her but managed to turn it into a cough when McGonagall glared at him.**

**James looked tired, "I thought it went well but she didn't turn up for breakfast at all. What if she's avoiding me again?"**

"**Don't worry about it. She probably just overslept or something. Or maybe she's planning a surprise for you," said Dumbledore.**

"**In any case, this bit of the story ought to cheer you up. It's all about how James and Lily became closer and closer to each other in just a couple of months," said McGonagall.**

"**They had been friends before though. And then they became enemies again. And friends again. Do they stay friends this time?" asked Albus, looking slightly exasperated. **

"**This was the start of Lily finally accepting that there might be more to their relationship. But she was still with Derek and that complicated things. Anyway, you'll find out about all that now," said McGonagall.**

James entered the empty common room to find a giant pile of books and papers on a nearby table.

"Lily?" he asked, spotting a familiar flash of red hair behind all the books. Some of the books were shifted aside and a very grumpy redhead peered at him through the gap. "Why are you studying during Easter break?" he asked moving over to her.

"This is due on our first day back and unlike you, I actually need to _work_ to get good grades," she snapped.

"I'll take that as a compliment. What's bothering you so much? I thought you got your Transfiguration all figured out now."

"It's Ancient Runes," she sighed. "Our teacher set us a long story to be translated. It's really easy but it's tediously long and I'm nearly dead out of boredom."

"What is it? A philosophical story?"

"No, it's a love story with the sappiest dialogues I've ever read."

James pulled the long sheet with the spiky runes towards him. "Hey, I can read this and I only took Runes for three years," he said, sounding very pleased with himself.

"I did say it was easy," grinned Lily.

Jams put on a hurt expression and sat on the arm of Lily's chair. A couple of months ago, if he'd got within three feet of her, she would have pushed him away. But now, she found herself increasingly comfortable around James. It was slightly disconcerting but Lily found herself enjoying his presence more and more and though she stubbornly asserted it was just as friends, she could no longer deny that she actually liked him.

"You're right, it really is sappy," said James, reading out from the sheet, " '_Oh Madeline, strange are the ways of Fate. In the two years-_' " he broke off, shaking with laughter.

"Oi, go on, I was writing that down!" said Lily, grinning herself.

James composed himself, " '_In the two short years I have known you my heart has completely been captured by your charms_.' " He handed back the sheet, "Here let's make this like a role-playing thing. It'll reduce the boredom."

Lily grinned as she read out the next lines, " '_Oh Brandon, Fate is indeed cruel, for I must leave for my hometown immediately._' "

" _'But you cannot leave, Madeline! Cupid himself has pierced my heart with his arrows and you alone reside in those holes. I will bleed to death in your absence,_' " James declared. Both of them burst into laughter immediately.

Lily took a deep breath to calm herself. " _'My love, I fear you will not recognize me when I return, for I will be burnt by the burning anguish of our separation.'_ " They dissolved into fits of laughter again.

"_What_ mood was your teacher in when she set this for homework?" demanded James.

"I don't know," Lily gasped between giggles.

James looked at his sheet. "Ah, look, the hero's getting all heroic. '_Then I will accompany you to the ends of the earth my love!_' " He stood up, waving his sheet valiantly at Lily.

Lily burst into laughter again. "Her hometown's across the river," she gasped, " '_Oh darling, I'd rather not go at all! I would much rather be here, spending every moment with you. I cannot bear the thought of spending an entire year away from you.'_ "

" '_I fear too that I cannot live in your absence. Only your exquisite beauty fills my mind every moment of the day._' "

" '_Oh Brandon_.' "

" '_Oh Madeline_.' "

James had moved in front of her now, both of them with identical soppy expressions on their faces, mingled with an intense desire to laugh. James caught hold of her hand. " '_Oh Madeline, if you must leave, let it be so that I know that you will forever be mine_.' " He went down on one knee, still holding her hand. " '_I love you, my dear Madeline. Will you marry me?_' "

Lily's heart skipped a beat and so did James' as their eyes met. Lily hastily looked down at her sheet, " _'Oh Brandon, of course I will._' "

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF MERLIN?"

James and Lily turned, still holding hands, James still on one knee, towards the door. Sirius was standing there looking as though he'd been struck by lightning. The two of them burst into laughter, both at the sight of Sirius' astounded face and at the Runes homework.

"Er…are you two still sane?" asked Sirius, when they didn't stop shrieking with laughter for five minutes straight, James now flat on the floor.

Lily recovered first. "We were just translating my Runes homework," she said, "James thought it'd be more fun to act it out." She realized she was still holding James' hand and pulled away, blushing deeply. James smirked at that but before he could comment, Sirius interrupted.

"Can I be the best man?"

"**Finally! She's blushing now!" said Al, grinning.**

"**Oh she blushed a lot more in the following weeks," said McGonagall.**

The last day of Easter holidays was when Lily usually cleaned out her trunk. She was bending over it, when she heard a very familiar voice from behind her.

"And you call us slobs."

She turned around to find James and Sirius standing by the window, brooms in hand and surveying the mess she'd made. "You do know you're not allowed in here?" she said.

"Just add it to the never-ending list of rules we've broken," said Sirius airily.

"Why've you thrown all your stuff about?" asked James.

"Spring cleaning," she said, throwing a few more clothes out of the very bottom of her trunk. Sirius caught one of them. "What on earth possessed you to buy this?" he demanded staring at the dress in disgust.

Lily looked at it. "I didn't," she said, "My sister Petunia sent it to me a couple of years ago."

"She must either really hate you or have a rubbish sense of dressing," said Sirius.

"You don't know the half of it," sighed Lily. The dress truly was horrible. It was overlong with full length, old-fashioned sleeves with lots of lace and frills and no shape at all. Worst of all, it was a very offensive shade of _orange_.

"Put it on," said James. Lily and Sirius stared at him.

"I know you wear glasses, Prongs, but even _you_ should be able to see how ridiculous this thing is," said Sirius.

"I know. Let's use magic and alter it. It'll be unrecognizable," James replied.

"I never thought of doing that," said Lily. She pushed them out onto the landing while she changed and called them in once she was done. "I'm warning you, though, one inappropriate spell and I will make sure you permanently wear this," she said, threateningly.

"we'll be perfect gentlemen, don't worry," assured James.

"Let's change the color first, my eyes are hurting," said Sirius. He waved his wand and it turned yellow.

"Not yellow, Sirius. I look like a walking Gryffindor flag," moaned Lily.

James waved his wand, turning the dress into a rich brown shade. Lily nodded her approval.

"Where do you think we should cut it off James?" asked Sirius, pointing his wand somewhere around her stomach.

"It better be far lower Sirius," said Lily, raising her own wand ominously.

She moved her wand around the dress herself, cutting it off at the knees. James shortened the sleeves and Sirius got rid of all the lace and frills. Lily gave the dress some shape, tightening it at her waist and letting it flow out like a skirt. Sirius added some ruffles and folds to make it look less plain and James gave it a cream ribbon around the middle to make it a bit brighter.

"There, it looks much better," he said appreciatively.

All three of them looked at the mirror. It really was nothing like the monstrosity it used to be. With the slight flush in her cheeks from all the activity and her dark red hair cascading over her shoulders, James thought she looked exceptionally lovely.

Sirius pointed his wand at the wireless in the corner and a lively tune filled the room. "Care to dance, beautiful?" he asked, with a deep bow and holding out his hand. Lily smiled and took it. James couldn't help smiling himself as he watched his best mate spin her round and she laughed, green eyes sparkling as she danced energetically with Sirius. The sight only strengthened his resolve to do whatever it took to win her love.

"**Did he dance with her too?" asked James eagerly.**

"**No not then. I interrupted actually. I had to take away points as they were in the girls' dormitories," said McGonagall. **

"**Oh come on," groaned the boys.**

"**But don't worry, James got his chance a few weeks after Easter," she continued.**

"This should be one amazing party. Peter's the last of the Marauders to turn seventeen and they'll definitely go all out for this," said Alice, fixing a clip in her dark hair.

"Where did you get that dress Lily? You look stunning in it," said Mary.

Lily smiled down at the brown dress she was wearing. I acquired it over Easter. I notice _you're_ dressed exceptionally well tonight. Impressing someone?"

Alison snorted. "Remus is already head over heels in love with her. I doubt he'd notice even if she turned up in a pillowcase." Mary blushed but stuck her tongue out at Alison.

They walked down to the common room where a party was on in full swing. Mary and Alice disappeared into the crowd with Remus and Frank, who'd been one of the few non-Gryffindors to receive an invite. Lily and Alison wandered around for a while, butterbeers in hand. Sirius turned up at their side after about an hour. His eyes lit up when he saw Lily's dress and widened when he looked at Alison.

"You look wonderful," he said to the latter.

She blushed slightly, "Thanks."

"Care to join me for a dance?" he asked.

She nodded and he led her off into the middle of the room.

"Lily! I didn't think you ever attended any of our parties," said James suddenly turning up behind her.

"Why is it you always sneak up from behind me?" she asked.

"Because I can't _sneak_ up on you from the front, can I?" he answered promptly.

She laughed at that and James remembered how that melodious laugh and her beautiful, twinkling green eyes had been what had drawn him to her in the first place.

"Er, James? Are you still there?"

"What-oh yeah, sorry, I just zoned out there for a moment," he said hastily. "So your friends all ran off leaving you alone?"

She sighed, "Yeah, they can't remember their poor old friend whose boyfriend is in Ravenclaw at times like these."

James' eyes darkened at the mention of Derek but he held his hand out to her. "In that case, why don't I step in? Just for a dance," he added hurriedly, seeing her raised eyebrows.

She smiled, "I suppose I do you owe you one since McGonagall interrupted us in the dormitory that day."

He led her out to the makeshift dance floor in the middle of the common room as they danced to a fast, snappy tune. "The girls loved the dress," said Lily.

He grinned, "Personally I think you look beautiful even if you were just wearing an old potato sack and your hair was all over the place."

Lily blushed at that. Derek never usually paid her compliments like that. He did care about appearances rather a lot. The song ended and the notes of a slow song wafted through the air. Lily hesitated, "Slow dancing's not really my thing."

"It's all right, I can teach you," said James, "Just mirror my movements." He moved slowly back and forth on the spot, Lily following his steps.

"Where did you and Sirius learn to dance so well?" she asked, looking over at Alison and Sirius who were also moving slowly, their arms around each other.

"All pureblood children are taught how to be little ladies and gentlemen. Sirius may not have liked it but he had to learn and he remembers it," said James. "Not that he looks particularly regretful about it now," he added, watching Sirius pull Alison closer.

Lily's hands suddenly moved to wrap themselves around his neck. James pulled back, surprised, but when he saw the slightly miserable look on Lily's face, he put his arms around her, pulling her closer.

"Would it bother you to go out with a muggleborns?" she asked softly.

James nearly had a heart attack. _"She's going out with Derek, it's just an innocent question!" _he told himself. _"but what if this is it and she really wants to go out with me? Oh wait…she's waiting for an answer…"_

"No, I have no problem. I doubt mind going out with a Muggle if I liked her enough," he replied, pulling himself away from his confused thoughts.

She rested her cheek against him. "Derek has a problem with it," she said. He deflated slightly at that. He understood why she'd asked him the question and realized that she was cuddling up to him like she would to a teddy bear-as a source of comfort.

"He's amazing in every other way but he just can't seem to stop dropping snide comments about my birth," said Lily.

"Then you should dump him. If he can't like you for what you are, you shouldn't have to put up with him," said James immediately.

"But he's marvelous when it comes to anything else, I can put up with one fault."

"You shouldn't have to . You should find someone who likes everything about you."

"I lost one person who was very dear to me because of my parentage. I don't want to lose another."

James sighed. "I won't force you to do something you don't want to. I just want you to know that whenever you need someone to talk to, I'll be there. At any time of the day or night."

Lily smiled at him, "Thank you," she said. "That means a lot to me. Especially since I can't tell my friends about it as they'd just take a leaf out of your old book and attack him."

He laughed. A strand of her half-up, half-down hair was falling adorably onto her face which was so close to his own. He wanted nothing more than to close that gap. The song ended, he pulled away, hiding the longing in his eyes.

"go on," he said, "enjoy the rest of the night."

She grinned at him and ran off to find Alison.

Sirius walked up behind him. "You should have just kissed her mate," he said, clapping him on the shoulder.

"**I completely agree!" said James. "It must have been killing him to be so close and yet so far."**

"**Remus did say later that he'd never seen James want someone so badly but exercise so much control because he wanted to be worthy of her," said McGonagall.**

"**But..why? Why did she tell James about Derek? She hadn't been friends with James for more than three months or so right?" asked Albus, looking a little confused.**

"**Lily found that she could talk to James like no one else. Though she did not realize it, though she refused to acknowledge it at the time, she had begun to like him ever since before Christmas that when year when he'd finally started being nice to her. True, they were enemies for a short while in between but they'd both wanted to be friends so badly, they were easily able to be comfortable around each other," said Dumbledore.**

"**It's not as strange as it seems," said Snape suddenly, "As much as I hate to admit it, she loved Potter though she didn't know it yet and that made her feel close to him."**

"**And you should give James some credit too. He'd finally understood that he didn't need to make a complete fool of himself or act cool all the time to convince Lily that he loved her and that he really was a nice guy. He was always there whenever she needed to talk to someone, he could make her laugh whenever she was upset and he made her feel cared for, far better than anyone else could. Take the week before their sixth year exams for example," said McGonagall…**

"Did you lot fight or something?" asked James, looking at Alice, Mary and Alison and then at Lily who was sitting at a table far away in the common room.

"No she's just having her pre-exam freaking out phase and it's best to leave her alone for a while," said Alice, looking quite harassed herself.

James looked determined as he went to the redhead. "Lily?"

"What do you want?" she snapped.

"How about a little walk in the grounds?"

She glared at him. "Just because you're absolutely brilliant and know everything for the exams doesn't mean I do. You may have nerves of steel and put on a nonchalant face but I am positively terrified of failing so just leave me alone!" she said, looking positively demented, as she looked wildly around at her books.

James stared at her for a moment and then grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the portrait hole. Despite her loud protests, he pulled her out into the grounds. Only when they'd reached the lake and she'd quieted down did he let her go.

She took a deep breath, "Thanks, I did need some fresh air. Sorry, I yelled at you."

She looked a lot calmer now. "Are you like this before every exam?" James asked grinning.

"Well..maybe not as bad as this," she said sheepishly. "Petunia inherited our mum's ability to remain calm under stress, I didn't ."

James climbed up the large beech tree. "Petunia," he said thoughtfully, "that's your sister right?" He held out his hand to pull her up onto the branch beside him.

"Are you crazy? I've never climbed a tree in my life! Yes, she's my sister," said Lily.

"Well then, it's time you learnt how to climb one. Is she the same one who sent you that hideous dress?"

"I like having my feet firmly on the ground, thank you. Yeah, she sent it."

"where's your Gryffindor courage?" James said.

She glared at him and then sighed. "Fine, how do I get up there?"

He instructed her slowly and soon, she was up in the middle of the tree with him. "What made her send you that horrible dress, then?" he asked.

"She hates me because I'm a witch and she's not," replied Lily shortly.

"And how do you feel about that?"

Lily looked at him. His hazel eyes were full of sincere concern. She didn't know why she felt comfortable telling him about her life or why she didn't mind sitting on a tree branch with him in the deserted grounds. She just liked the way he made her feel…loved and adored. But she just poured out her feelings to him, "-and she just won't accept that it's not my fault she's not a witch. I haven't spoken to her properly for nearly six years now," she finished sadly.

James just put his arm around her shoulders and they sat there in silence for a while. "I'm sure she still loves you," he said softly.

Lily made a skeptical noise.

"I mean it," he said sternly. "I don't have nay siblings of my own but I do have an older cousin sister who treats me like her own little brother. And what I've learnt from her is that older siblings never, ever, stop loving the younger ones. Some day, she'll come back to protect you and take care of you and never let the big, bad world hurt you. Any older brother or sister would do that. Some day she really will feel sorry for treating you this way."

"Thank you," said Lily, "I don't know how you do it, but you have a knack of saying and doing exactly the right things when I'm upset," she said, gratefully. "So it's just you and your parents at home then?"

"Sirius moved in last summer. Peter and Remus visit very often. But mostly I've been the spoiled brat, yeah," he added with a smirk. He looked out over the lake. "When I was younger and the war wasn't so bad, Dad and I used to spend most of our time flying. Mum keeps teasing me about how I learned to fly before I learned to walk."

Lily chuckled. "Why do you like flying so much anyway?"

"Because I can be free. I don't have to think about all my problems when I'm in the air. I think all those mundane troubles are tied to the earth. That's why whenever I need to think or calm down, I head for higher places. I fly, or climb trees or just sit on the Astronomy Tower."

"Thanks for bringing me out here. I do feel a lot better now. Like I said, you've got a real talent for making me feel good," said Lily. She stated climbing down.

"Hold on, let me get down first and help you," said James.

She looked at him, "I'm wearing a skirt," she said pointedly.

"I'll close my eyes then," he said impatiently. "It's not as easy to climb down."

But Lily wasn't listening. She made it down a couple of branches but then lost her footing. With a loud scream, she fell to the ground, her foot curled under her. There was a sickening crack.

"Lily!" shouted James, alarmed. He jumped down quickly and looked at her ankle. It was swollen. He prodded it gently.

"Ow! What was that for?" she demanded.

"I was hardly putting any pressure on it. That's a broken ankle all right," he said.

"What? No! I'm fine," she said, trying to get up. She fell over almost immediately, her eyes watering with pain. James put one arm around her shoulders and the other around her knees and lifted her up easily.

"You stay still till we get to Madam Pomfrey. I know a broken ankle when I see one," he said firmly.

Lily nodded meekly, feeling weak with the pain and shock of falling as he carried her all the way up to the castle. She knew Derek would probably not like it if he saw them but for some reason, she didn't care. She felt…nice…curled up in James' arms. She felt safe and, strangely enough, happy. James was in the seventh heaven even though he was a little worried about her. True, he wasn't exactly carrying his bride home but he felt absolutely delighted.

Madam Pomfrey rushed to put Lily into a bed when they got to the hospital wing. She mended the ankle in a minute but Lily, exhausted with all the strain, fell asleep.

Madam Pomfrey turned to James who was watching the sleeping girl with a tender expression on his face. "There's something I don't quite understand, Mr. Potter," she said slowly.

"What's that, Madam Pomfrey?" he asked.

"Well I know you know very well how to mend broken bones yourself. Why did you carry Miss Evans all the way back to the castle?"

James Potter just grinned.

* * *

_Did you like it? I wasn't too happy with it...I'm not great at writing the real cheesy stuff but I did my best..._

_At least five reviews again? :)_


	24. Chapter 23

_Thank you, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU so much for all your reviews/alerts! I really can't tell you how happy I was to see all my old readers review again. And a BIG thanks to all the new readers too! You guys are the best! I really do love checking my inbox in the morning and finding all your reviews and alerts/favourites!  
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_Hope you like this chapter too.  
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_Disclaimer : I don't own HP.  
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* * *

"Come in Bella," said Voldemort softly. He turned to face the eager witch kneeling before him.

"How may I serve you, Master?" Bellatrix asked; her enthusiasm to hurt people clear in every syllable. This was why Voldemort had chosen her for the task of course. She would be ruthless, though she was barely out of school. And of course, she would be hurting someone close to her blood-traitor cousin, Sirius Black; that was definitely an added bonus for her.

He gazed down at her. "I have received a rather insulting letter from James Potter and Lily Evans. They dare to turn me down when my generosity and mercy would have kept them alive. I want you to punish them appropriately."

Bellatrix was trembling with excitement.

"I cannot touch Mr. Potter yet; he is too well protected by his father and his band of Aurors. But I have heard that he is rather fond of the Mudblood Evans. He is in _love_ with her," hissed Voldemort, putting contempt into every word. "The easiest way to hurt him will be to hurt his loved ones and who better to start with than Miss Evans?"

"I will leave immediately my Lord. I will torture her until she begs at my feet for mercy," said Bellatrix, her voice full of relish.

"Do not kill her Bella," said Voldemort, "not yet. She is yet to suffer emotionally as well. Leave her just broken enough for Potter to see what happens to those who dare defy me. Leave her in enough pain to cause him anguish."

"What do you mean by emotional suffering, my Lord? Surely there is no greater pain than what I can inflict with the Cruciatus curse?" said Bellatrix, looking confused.

Voldemort's lip curled, "It is a pain that you and I are immune to. It is something that only Mr. Johnson can inflict upon the Mudblood. Go now, and send Johnson to me."

Bellatrix frowned. "Derek Johnson? But he is hardly skilled in the Dark Arts, master. He does not even bear the Mark. I have proved myself to you often. How can _he_ do better?" asked Bellatrix.

Voldemort's red eyes flashed. "You are lucky that you possess my favour, Bella," he said dangerously. "Do not presume to question my decisions."

"Of course not, my Lord. I merely wondered-" Bellatrix started hastily, but Voldemort held up his hand.

"You see Bella, that old fool Dumbledore, asserts that love is more powerful than any kind of magic. I have never found it to be true but I _have_ discovered it to be a useful weapon to use against my enemies. You and I have never had the hindrance of loving someone but lesser mortals do. In my experience, I have found that the most pain I can cause someone is by hurting someone they love or by using someone they love to hurt them. On my orders, Derek Johnson has fooled pureblood girls whose families or friends have offended me into falling in love with him. At my word, he betrays them. For some reason, this causes them much pain and distress," he said, smiling coldly.

"Dumbledore may believe that love is good but I have only ever found it to be a strong weapon that I can use against my deluded enemies, those fools who believe in the power of _true_ _love_," he continued mockingly. "Now go! Torture Miss Evans and send Johnson to me. Miss Evans and through her, Mr. Potter, is going to learn what happens to the fools who dare defy me.

"**He was a Death Eater?" said Snape, into the hushed silence that had fallen over the Head's office.**

**Dumbledore sighed, "Yes, Severus, he was. All those girls he cheated on were in some way connected to people who had offended Voldemort. He may never have understood the potential of love when used for the good but he definitely understood its potential as a weapon against his enemies."**

"**But no one else knew at Hogwarts?" asked Albus. He looked slightly sick. **

"**No," said McGonagall heavily, "and there was never any proof that he was anything more than just a player. He never had the Dark Mark and unfortunately everyone believed that all Death Eaters were Slytherins. No one would have imagined a Ravenclaw being a Death Eater."**

"**What did he do to Lily?" growled James.**

"**Bellatrix got to her first," sighed McGonagall.**

Lily sat on her bed at home. She had returned for the summer and in just two weeks, she had received seven letters from Derek. She smiled, each had been more endearing than the last and she was starting to wonder if they might be in love. But now, she looked at _two_ letters. One was from Derek, full of the usual sweetness. The other, was from James Potter.

_Lily,_

_Sirius and I have played enough Quidditch for the year. Mum's banned us pranking her after we nearly gave a house elf and an old Muggle a heart attack. We're bored. I really miss having you around. Who would have thought that you're actually fun person to hang out with? Please, please come visit me._

_James_

If anyone else had written a letter so bluntly, Lily might have been offended. But it was James; he was just adorably honest that way. She had to admit, she missed him too. Derek was nice but he wasn't particularly _adventurous_. In just the last few months of sixth year, she and James had grown unbelievably close to each other. She had confessed to Alison that she had been frightened by their sudden closeness.

"_I'm scared Alison. How can two people who were worst enemies suddenly be best friends?" Lily asked._

"_It's because you've always wanted it Lily. You've _wanted_ to be his best friend ever since I can remember. You hated him for his pranks but you've always known he's a good guy. You've always wanted to know the real James Potter. Besides you two get on really well together, there's no reason for you to be afraid," Alison replied._

Lily had to agree with that. She had always been a perfect girl. But every time she saw the Maraduers, she had wanted to be a part of them. She knew James would never hurt her. She felt good whenever he was around. Sometimes, she found _him_ more romantic than Derek even if he wasn't trying to be romantic. She had found herself blushing every time James touched her; felt that tingly feeling whenever he held her hand. And there had been that time when he had defended her from Derek…

_It was the end-of-term feast and Gryffindor had won the house cup. Lily had swept her hair back into a ponytail: a style Derek wasn't particularly fond of. _

"_Hi," she said, as he passed her. _

_He eyed her with a sneer. "I really don't know how Gryffindor win all the time even if they have plain muggleborns in their midst."_

_Lily was hurt, he _was_ her boyfriend. He shouldn't say things like that. She reached up to pull her hair out of the elastic holding it back when a larger, warmer hand enclosed hers, stopping her._

"_Would you like to borrow my glasses, Johnson? I think anyone who calls Lily 'plain' when she's looking _this_ lovely needs glasses indeed," James said pleasantly. "Oh and we win because we have pure talent, irrespective of our parentage."_

_Derek glared and walked off. Lily turned and nearly collided with James' chest, he was so close. And he was still holding her hand. _

"_You really do look lovely. Your eyes stand out even better with your hair pulled back like that," he said, eyes full of an inscrutable emotion._

Lily blushed even now at that memory. She could still remember the scent of oranges that he radiated; the warm pressure of his hand, holding hers so firmly, yet gently; the deep rumble of his voice that she'd almost felt, being so close to him at the time; the-

She shook her head. "No," she said firmly. "If I'm blushing or daydreaming about anyone, it will be Derek. He's my boyfriend." She chose to ignore the voice in her had that asked, "Don't you wish it were James, though?" She put aside both letters. She'd answer them later. She'd promised her mum she'd go shopping with her and Petunia.

She hated shopping.

Meanwhile –

"Prongs, for Merlin's sake! I'm sure she got your letter. Stop pacing! You'll make a hole in the floor," said Sirius, exasperatedly.

"She wouldn't take so long to reply," said James.

"Lily does have a life you know. She has other friends whose letters she'll need to answer too. Be patient!"

"She's not mad at me for standing up for her in front of Johnson is she?" worried James.

Sirius snorted. "She was blushing as red as her hair. She seems to do that a lot around you now," he added smirking.

James ran a hand through his hair. "I hope that's a good sign. I'm feeling she might really like me now."

"Trust me, if she liked you any more, she'd be going out with you. If Johnson wasn't in the picture, I'm sure she would already be on a date with you now that you've gone all good."

"Arrrgh, I can't stay still! Why don't _we_ go visit her ourselves? We do have Apparition licenses and we're of age now.

Sirius thought for a moment. "Moony would call us crazy. So I say, let's go!" They grinned at each other and Disapparted.

Near Lily's house –

Lily was chatting away with her mother, laden with shopping bags. They were only two alleys away from home. Suddenly, five hooded figures Apparated in their way.

Bellatrix threw back her hood and sauntered forward, wand raised. "Well, well, well. If it isn't the jumped up little Mudblood."

Lily pulled her wand out. "Mum, Petunia, get behind me," she muttered, pulling her sister back.

Bellatrix cackled, "You think you're skilled enough to take us on? Crucio!"

Lily screamed as the pain hit her. Bellatrix pulled her wand away. "Not so nice to defy the Dark Lord, is it?"

"Stupefy!" screamed Lily. She hit one of the Death Eaters, knocking him out but there were too many of them.

"Crucio!" she heard four voices shout. Once again, she screamed as the agony seemed to be coming from her very bones. She felt even worse when she heard Petunia and her mother being subjected to the same torture. "Stop!" she gasped.

The pain subsided. Bellatrix strode over to her as she sank to her knees. "Had enough already, Mudblood?"

"Please," sobbed Lily, "leave them alone." She gestured to her family; both her mother and sister were on the ground. "Your master only wants me, leave them alone."

The Death Eaters laughed evilly, relishing her weakness and pain. Lily had recovered a little and took advantage of their distraction. She hit the Death eater behind Bellatrix with a jet of water so strong, he was blasted back, hitting his head solidly on the tarmac. She tried to use a Shield Charm as Bellatrix brought her wand down, but was too slow. She raised her hand to shield her face, and a deep gash appeared on it. She gasped in pain as her blood spattered the road.

"Not bad, Mudblood," said Bellatrix, laughing cruelly and raising her wand again.

"Stupefy!" yelled a voice behind her. Bellatrix managed to turn in time to block James' jet of red light. He and Sirius had Apparated moments ago and had hid behind a building waiting to strike at the right moment.

"Sirius, go get Dad!" he shouted. Sirius Disapparated again, just as James shot another hex at Bellatrix.

She dodged it easily and shouted "Crucio!" at Lily who had moved to her mother.

Lily screamed again as unendurable pain blotted out her ability to think straight. She could dimly hear James shout "Leave her alone." Then suddenly, the pain stopped. The air was full of the sounds of Apparating wizards.

"Let's go, our work here is done!" shouted Bellatrix.

Sirius shot a spell at her but it missed and hit another Death Eater. The Aurors he had brought too could not capture the remaining two as they Disapparated.

James and Sirius rushed to Lily as the Aurors moved towards her family and to bind the three Death Eaters. "Lily! Lily! Are you okay?" James demanded, for she was flat on the ground, eyes closed.

She stirred, her eyes opening slightly, "James?" she whispered.

"Lily! Thank Merlin! You'll be okay, I promise. They're gone. You're safe now."

"My mum…Petunia…?"

"They'll be fine, Dad's with them."

"You freak!" screamed Petunia suddenly. She seemed to be unharmed and was striding towards them. "This is all your fault!"

Lily tried to sit up, "Tuney…"

"Stay away from us. You put us all in danger," Petunia screamed at her before stalking away to the Aurors who Disapparated with her and her mother.

"Lily," Sirius murmured, his eyes full of understanding, "come on; we need to get you out of here."

Lily didn't protest as he and James pulled her to her feet and grasped her hands tightly. She just stared at where Petunia had disappeared with a blank look on her face. They Apparated back to James' house. His mother tried to fuss over Lily but she still seemed to be in shock. James and Sirius led her up to a free bedroom. She moved forwards, almost as if she were in a trance, collapsed on the bed and started sobbing her heart out.

"Lily!" said James, alarmed. He started towards her, but Sirius stopped him. Sirius himself moved to Lily instead. He put his arms around her, letting her cry into him. James backed out. He knew that Sirius was the only one who could understand how Lily felt at that moment. Sirius was the only one who could understand what it felt like to have your family hate you.

Lily's sobs turned slowly to sniffles and hiccups but Sirius didn't let her go.

"I'm a freak," she sniffed softly. "Petunia was right. Hogwarts is for people who are a danger to ordinary people."

"That's ridiculous," said Sirius.

Lily remained pressed up against him as she laughed humourlessly. "Voldemort hates me for being a muggleborn and Petunia hates me for being a witch. What am I supposed to be then?"

Sirius put his chin on her head. "You're supposed to be the girl you are now. You're supposed to remain the sweet, feisty little redhead you've always been. You're supposed to remain the only girl who can bring so much fun and happiness into your friends' lives even if you are a prefect. You can't please the world, Lily. I know your sister's words hurt you. Trust me; I've been on the receiving end too. But one day, she'll come to her senses. Until then, I can always be the brother you've never had."

"How can you be so sure she'll come back?"

Sirius turned her head to meet his eyes. "I can't. But I can hope. That's all any of us can do right now – hope. Don't forget that there are lots of other people who love you…both as a sister," he paused, glancing at the door, "and something more," he finished.

James walked in. "Lily? Would you like something to eat?"

Lily shook her head. Sirius however jumped up. "I would!" He was out of the room in a flash. James shook his head and sat beside the redhead.

"Will you be okay?" he asked tentatively.

"It'll take some time," she said, "Is my family safe?"

"Your family's been taken to one of the Ministry's safe houses but Dad says it's best you stay here."

"I can't do that! I can't just impose-"

"We have plenty of room. This is a _mansion_. We were prepared to take in muggleborns anyway. I'd rather you were here than some stranger."

"What about Alison?" Lily asked anxiously.

"She's on holiday in Spain at the moment. When she returns, she's welcome to stay here too."

They sat in silence for a while. Lily tried to lift her arm and winced. James looked at her.

"Here, I can fix that," he said, taking her hand and healing the gash Bellatrix had made in her arm. "You did a great job against those Death Eaters. Even Dad was impressed."

"It didn't make a difference. They still hurt us," said Lily, dully.

James looked at her sadly. He hated being unable to bring the smile back on her face. He hesitated and then pulled Lily into his arms just like Sirius had done.

"I know I can't understand how you're feeling as well as Sirius does," he said, "but I do know that none of this was your fault. If any, it was mine. It was my idea to reply to Voldemort like that. I'm responsible for Sirius' crazy cousin attacking you."

"That was Sirius' cousin?"

"Yeah," sighed James. "I had a tough time convincing him to go back and get the Aurors. He wanted to rip her limb from limb."

"I was afraid," said Lily. She too hesitated but then leaned against James, listening to his heartbeat."I thought I would die."

"To be honest, I was afraid they'd kill you too," admitted James. He continued, "But if it would have helped you get away, I would have taken the curse myself," he added fiercely.

Lily looked up at him. Once again, the intensity of that inscrutable emotion that filled his eyes made her blush. But she could not doubt his sincerity.

"Sleep," he said gently, "You're tired. You're perfectly safe her."

Lily nodded, closing her eyes. Her last coherent thought before she fell asleep (which she later attributed to having been too sleepy) was that she would feel safe anywhere as long as James' arms were around her.

"**James Sirius Potter, if you swear again, I will hex your mouth shut," said McGonagall sternly.**

"**But those bloody Death Eaters attacked her!" argued James.**

"**It was thirty years ago!"**

**Albus was staring at the window. When he opened his mouth to speak, however, he asked a completely unrelated question. "It'll be Christmas in five days. Did you get Rosalie something?"**

"**Oh f-mmph," said James. McGonagall had silenced him just as he was about to swear again.**

"**Who swears so many times in one hour, Mr. Potter?" she asked, irritated.**

**James gestured wildly. She sighed and muttered the counter curse. "I totally forgot about Christmas presents!" he said, looking distressed.**

"**Well why don't you go now? Take an early lunch break, sneak into Hogsmeade – I'm sure you have your ways, I'll overlook it for once – and go get her something nice. We'll meet here again after you've had lunch," suggested McGonagall. **

**James looked as though Christmas had come five days early. "Thanks Professor!" He and Albus were out of the room immediately.**

"**I must say Minerva, you really **_**do**_** go soft around Christmas," smirked Snape.**

"**Shut up Severus," was Minerva McGonagall's elegant response.**

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_How was it? Too serious? I had to get her to James' house and Derek out of the way and this seemed the best way to do it...Sorry about the lack of James and Albus. There will be more of them in the next promised, I will update twice a week...For all those who have exams, good luck!  
_

_At least five reviews again, please_? :)


	25. Chapter 24

_Thanks again for all the reviews! I was a little worried I hadn't done justice to the previous chapter but you guys made me feel better! Thanks a lot._

_Hope you like this one too :)_

_Disclaimer: I don't own HP._

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**James and Albus strolled down the street of Hogsmeade. "We've been window shopping for an hour James. It's freezing out here. Just pick a store!" said Albus.**

"**Oh stop whining. I have to find the perfect gift. I can't ruin things at this stage," James replied.**

**Albus grumbled about how Christmas shopping with their mother was faster but he followed his brother through the snow.**

"**She likes jewelry," said James, after passing three more shops.**

"**Too cliché," replied Albus.**

"**A dress?"**

"**Do you know her size?"**

"**Something Quidditch related then?"**

"**You've done that already."**

"**Well **_**you**_** suggest something then!" snapped James.**

"**Okay, how's this? I'll kidnap her, put her in a box and wrap it up. Then you come and open it," said Al.**

"**How the heck is that **_**her**_** present?"**

"**I have no idea. I was just hoping we could go back to the castle. I'm hungry."**

**James turned to Al to tell him off and a shop behind the shorter boy caught his eye. Al turned to see what James was staring at. He whistled when he saw the shop. "Santa Claus is definitely on your side.**

**X-X-X**

**James and Albus ran down for lunch after stashing the present carefully in Albus' trunk. They'd spend five minutes arguing about that until Al pointed out that James was more likely to chuck the present out while searching for something in the mess that was his trunk (which James had to admit was quite possible). James immediately looked around when they reached the Great Hall. He spotted Rosalie's red hair immediately.**

"**Rosalie!" he called, moving over to her.**

"**Oh! Er…hi," she said. She looked like she really wanted to leave.**

"**I didn't see you at breakfast today," said James.**

"**Yeah, I was a little busy. I'll see you around. I have to…um...be somewhere." She left quickly.**

**James stared after her, his face becoming longer and longer. He turned to Albus. "She doesn't like me."**

"**Nonsense!" said Al, "She's just busy."**

"**With what? It's the holidays."**

"**It's Rosalie. I wouldn't put it past her to have started next **_**year's **_**work already. She just said she had to be somewhere else. Most likely it's the Library."**

"**What if she was just trying to get rid of me? What if she's going out with someone else?" fretted James.**

**Albus rolled his eyes. "For heaven's sake, James, she held **_**your**_** hand last night! She's probably busy with something and she'll see you at dinner. Stop hyperventilating. Honestly, I'm the younger one and **_**you're **_**acting like the kid," he said, shaking his head at his older brother.**

**Meanwhile, Clara Bell met Rosalie outside the Hall. "You should have been a little more polite. The poor boy was about to freak out."**

**Rosalie grinned sheepishly, "I can't have him finding out what I'm planning. It'll ruin the surprise. I just hope he'll like it."**

**Unfortunately James, being completely ignorant of Rosalie's plans to surprise him, sulked all through lunch. When he and Al went back to McGonagall's office, Snape raised his eyebrows. "What's wrong with you?" he asked James.**

**James merely grumbled under his breath.**

**Albus sighed, "Rosalie blew him off at lunch."**

"**Did the shopping go well?" asked Dumbledore.**

"**Yeah, but if she's blowing me off like that, what's the point of giving her a gift? What if she was just humouring me yesterday?" asked James, looking extremely downcast.**

"**Don't worry. Remember, your grandfather also went through this phase of uncertainty. But he changed for the better and it paid off in the end, didn't it? I'm sure there's a very rational reason for Rosalie's behaviour," said Dumbledore.**

"**I hoe the next part of your story's at least cheerful. I could really do with some romantic ideas right now," said James, still looking unconvinced.**

**McGonagall grimaced apologetically. "Actually, it's not. Voldemort decided to make Derek break her heart just a few days after the attack. Sadist that he was, the boy was more than happy to do it."**

Lily stayed at Godric's Hollow with the Potters and Sirius. James' parents brought her trunk up to the room she was in and reassured her that her friends and family were safe. She'd been given the room right next to James'. The Potters also instructed the boys to leave her alone – let her know they were around – but otherwise leave her to her own devices for a few days until she came to terms with recent happenings. James couldn't stop worrying about her.

"She's not smiled for a week, Sirius," he said. He and Sirius were sitting on the grass below Lily's window. "She hardly eats when she comes down for meals. She never talks or leaves her room the rest of the time. I'm worried about her."

"You know what, James?" said Sirius, his usually carefree grey eyes full of worry as he looked up at Lily's window. "I'm worried about her too."

But after ten days of Lily's continued depression, James and Sirius barged into her room.

"Come on Lily, we're going out," said Sirius, pulling her up.

"What?" said Lily, confused.

"You've shut yourself up here for ten whole days! It's not healthy. We're taking you on a tour of Godric's Hollow," said James.

They both looked so determined that Lily didn't argue. Feeling that the fresh air could only do her good, Lily followed them out of the house.

X-X-X

Lord Voldemort smiled wickedly as he called in his servant. "I have been informed that the Mudblood has left the house. Go, Johnson. Rip her heart into shreds."

"With pleasure, my Lord," answered Derek. The relish in his voice left Voldemort in no doubt that Lily Evans was set on course for misery.

"**You'll fall off your chair, Al," said James, pulling his brother back from the edge of his seat. **

"**That-"**

**McGonagall pointedly covered her ears as Albus swore violently. Even James looked impressed that his 12-year-old brother could swear so well.**

"**He was too scared of taking on James so he took it all out on Lily? What kind of creep does that?" Albus said angrily.**

"**He was essentially a bully, Al. He obviously went for the weaker one. Lily stood for everything he hated. Of course he was particularly vindictive towards her," said Dumbledore patiently.**

"**How could Derek just play along as her boyfriend for so long and then suddenly break her heart so easily?" said Albus, still looking rather murderous.**

"**He was one of those people who derive pleasure that way. The world's not as pretty as it seems, young Potter. There are quite a few nasty characters under all the glamour and false images," said Snape. "The good thing is, sometimes there are very nice people under hard and evil facades too," he added as an afterthought. **

**McGonagall continued the story.**

Lily did seem to feel better in the open. James noted happily that her cheeks were rosier and her eyes weren't so tired any more.

"Why do you live in such a quaint little village if you're so rich?" she asked James as they passed a church in the village square.

"My parents like it here. It's nice and quiet and we have enough wizarding neighbours too," he said. "Wouldn't you like to live here?"

"I guess I would. It's nice and peaceful. But I wouldn't want to live in your mansion. I'd prefer a little cottage like one of these," said Lily, waving her hand at the row of cottages they were passing.

"Yeah, you and Prongsie could get married and live happily ever after in one of these," said Sirius, watching Lily for her reaction.

She blushed slightly and grinned as James smacked Sirius on the head. They passed a small alley. Lily glanced into it and stopped dead. James and Sirius frowned as they looked down the alley, curious to see what she was staring at.

Derek Johnson was snogging some girl intensely, his hands running up and down her body.

Lily's expression was rapidly changing from shock to rage. Sirius looked wary, like he was afraid of Lily's reaction. James was debating whether to restrain Lily or help her pulverize the cheating snake.

Lily moved first. "What the _hell _do you think you're doing?" she screamed.

Derek pulled away from the girl who looked scared. He, on the other hand, merely looked annoyed at the interruption. "I was going to be kind enough to break up with you in person after the summer, but I guess this is okay too," he said coolly.

Lily slapped him hard. The other girl ran away down the alley. "You write me romantic letters all summer and now do this?" Lily yelled.

"You really want to know what I think of you? You seemed okay at the beginning but I soon realized that you're uptight and boring. You're ugly _and_ dumb to not notice that I was beginning to lose interest in you quickly. You're a weak little witch who can't help herself let alone anyone else. Why would I want to go out with you anymore? I only sent all those letters because it amused me to have you wrapped around my finger, doing whatever I wanted. Now, you're just a burden, a bore. Oh and of course, you're a filthy, common little _Mudblood_," he sneered.

Lily looked like someone had slapped _her_. James moved towards Derek, pulling out his wand, but Sirius grabbed him before he did anything stupid.

"You hurt me," said Lily, in a small voice.

"Well, the truth hurts," said Derek. He casually walked away from them. He had gone a few paces down the alley when Lily raised her wand. The spell blasted him forward, across the road and into a dustbin in the next alley. He managed to cast a Cushioning Charm but before he could regain his balance, Lily was behind him. He turned to receive a punch in the face that broke his nose.

James and Sirius had never seen Lily this angry before. They hung back, slightly scared.

"If you are the kind of person a pureblood has to be, I'm glad to be a muggleborns!" screamed Lily. "You – are – the – most- _sick_ – person – I – know!" she slashed with her wand at every word and her spell made Derek stagger back each time feeling like she was hitting him with a _very _heave saucepan. He stumbled backwards, winded by her blows. He raised his hand just in time, as Lily waved her wand furiously. He yelled in pain. The word 'CHEATER' had been burned into his forearm.

James moved forward, "Expelliarmus."

Lily's wand flew out of her hand and Sirius caught it. She started towards him, her face still contorted with fury but James got to her first. He pulled her into a bone-crushing hug, ignoring her kicking and struggling, pinning her arms to her sides.

Sirius raised the wands in his hand and looked at Derek. "Go. Now."

Derek didn't need telling twice. He managed to stand up straight and Disapparate immediately.

Lily screamed at James, struggling in his arms, but he held tight. Her screams turned to loud sobs as the fight went out of her; her rage giving way to absolute misery as she dissolved into tears. She would have collapsed on the spot if James hadn't been holding her. He lifted her up easily and carried her back to his house wordlessly, Sirius following beside him. He went straight upstairs and set her down on her bed while Sirius explained to Mrs. Potter what had happened. James joined Sirius downstairs, but when they went up, armed with hot chocolate, they found the door locked magically.

X-X-X

Lily didn't even turn up for meals all day. Sirius tried the windows but they were locked too. But he reported that Lily hadn't tried to harm herself. She was just lying on her bed with a blank expression. Occasionally, her expression changed to anger and she threw darts at a picture of Derek but most of the time, she had a defeated look on her face. Since Lily was the kind of girl who kept up a confident, optimistic exterior even if she was crumbling internally, this unhappy, hollow, beaten look scared Sirius and James more than if she sobbed her heart out.

Two days passed with no sign of Lily in the rest of the house. A house elf magically sent food into her room thrice a day. The dishes were usually returned almost completely full with only a few halfhearted nibbles here and there.

On the third morning, when she drew the drapes across her window, James picked up his wand.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Prongs," said Sirius.

James looked determined. "I am _not_ losing Lily to the words of that lying, cheating cockroach. I'll break down the door if I have to," he said.

He tried Lily's door. It was still locked. He used a spell to blast the doorknob aside and strode in. Lily hadn't even picked up her wand. She was sitting on the edge of her bed, looking cornered.

James sat down beside her. "Lily, you have to snap out of it," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

She pulled away, "Don't touch me. I don't want to pollute your _pure_ blood."

James looked at her. He hadn't realized how badly Derek's words had affected her. He grabbed her by the shoulders firmly, ignoring her protests. He moved his hands up her neck, into her hair and cupped her face, forcing his eyes to meet his. The scared, tired green eyes met the friendly, concerned yet firm hazel ones.

James suddenly let go of her and picked up a pin lying on the dresser. He closed his eyes, grit his teeth and pricked her finger first and then his own. He held his finger beside hers.

"See," he said, "I touched you and yet my blood red. So is yours. There's no toxic waste in your blood that'll contaminate mine. I couldn't care less what sort of blood someone's got as long as it's red. As long as we're human, everyone's equal in my eyes."

Lily looked at his honest face. She was feeling slightly relieved that James didn't care what her parents were. "I lost Petunia, Severus and now Derek because of what I am. I don't want to lose you or anyone else," she said quietly. "Nobody wants me."

"Lily you're not going to lose anybody else, okay? All those people are mad to not want to be with you. You're smart and funny and beautiful and charming. I could go on all day listing your good points. And of course people want you. I chased after you for five years myself, didn't I?" said James, flashing his lopsided grin at her.

Her lips twitched slightly but her expression became miserable again. "No," she said. "You're just saying that to try to make me feel better. I'm the reason people get hurt. I'm an outcast."

James grabbed her shoulders with more force than he intended, sending them both falling back onto the bed. "Listen up Lily," he growled. Lily was surprised by the ferocity in his voice. She met his eyes.

"In case you've forgotten, one of my best friends is a werewolf," he started. "No one can be more dangerous than him. At least there are more people like you. Remus has a far rarer condition and he is shunned by both wizards _and _Muggles. But I don't see _him_ hiding in his room. You know why? Because he knows he has the chance of a lifetime and he wants to take it. He knows his friends will stand by him no matter what. He knows that he has a chance to be the one to change the way his kind are treated and he's taking it. He's been let down by friends and family too. He's been insulted way more than you have by other people who know what he is. People ridicule him for being poor and shabby, but he – does – not – care. So stop acting like you're a monster all right? You're a witch in a long line of Muggles. You've been given the chance of a lifetime too. If Remus (and he really is a monster) is ready to take whatever life throws at him, _why aren't you_?"

Lily looked ashamed. She felt selfish for forgetting that she wasn't the only one subjected to prejudice. She wasn't the only one who had to face problems in life.

James continued, "The Lily Evans I knew wouldn't have taken this lying down. She might have cried a bit, yeah, but she would have recovered. She would be finding out how to punish the psychos who attacked her family. She inspired me and all my mates to hold their heads high in times of trouble. She wouldn't have cared about what everyone else said about her as long as she knew she was in the right. She would be ready to prove to Derek that he's made a HUGE mistake by cheating on her. She would have proved to every crazy, stuck-up, status oriented pureblood out there exactly _why_ she's a Prefect, the smartest witch of the year and set on course to be only the second Muggleborn Head Girl in the history of Hogwarts. In short, she would be ready to kick ass to get what she wanted."

He leaned closer. Lily couldn't move back since she was flat on the bed with James on top of her, but she didn't want to move. James had been noting that the fiery determination he'd loved about her was coming back into her eyes with every word.

"So," he said, "where is the Lily Evans I knew?"

Lily grabbed his collar and flipped him over so that she was on top of him now. "You know what James?" she said, eyes sparkling with her old strength. "She's back."

James grinned at that.

"You're right," she continued. "This weak, crying little girl is _not _me. I'll show the world why I'm a Gryffindor," she declared. "I'll just miss having a boyfriend," she said softly, her eyes becoming sad for a moment, but her renewed spirit did not leave.

James grinned. "That won't be a problem if you go out with me Evans."

She laughed at the old line, stopping suddenly when she noticed how close their faces were. She had leaned down unknowingly. She could feel his breath on her face, on her lips. She blushed and so did James. His eyes were full of passion and care. He reached up and brushed her hair back, letting his had linger over her ear. She could feel her face getting even warmer as he moved his head up slowly, slowly-

The door banged open.

"_Why_ do I keep barging in and interrupting moments like these? I really need to learn how to knock," groaned Sirius as both Lily and James sat up immediately blushing furiously.

"You didn't interrupt anything," said Lily hurriedly.

"Yeah, Lily was just getting her spirit back," said James.

"Uh-huh," said Sirius. He looked at Lily, immediately noticing the sparkle returned to her eyes and her confident body language as she slid off the bed. She was still a little hurt and sad but she was far from the edge of depression now. He grinned widely and lifted Lily up by the waist and spun her round. "Yeah Lily! You're back!" he said, setting her back on her feet as she laughed.

He turned to James. "Mum was worried you might have annoyed Lily so much that she might have finally killed you."

"I can take care of myself," grumbled James.

"Right," said Sirius. He turned to Lily. "I'll go tell Mum you're ready to eat. If you'd starved any more, you'd probably have disappeared altogether."

He bounded out of the room. James made to follow, but Lily touched his wrist. He turned around and for the first time, Lily hugged him. Voluntarily. She wrapped her arms tightly around him. He was taken aback for a second but then he too wrapped his arms around her. His emotions went into overdrive as she snuggled into him. He felt…complete, like he was a jigsaw puzzle and the final piece had just fit perfectly. Too soon for him, however, Lily pulled away.

She looked up at him. "Thank you," she said softly, "For being there for me, for caring so much for me, for bringing me back to my senses…for everything."

As James followed her down the stairs, he knew that everything happened for a reason. He just hoped that the recent developments meant that the Fates wanted him to finally have a fair shot at getting Lily to love him.

"**I can't believe Derek did that! I want to kill him," said Al.**

"**I don't think Derek's been punished enough either," said James. Like his namesake, he'd taken the latest attack on Lily very seriously.**

"**Neither did Sirius and Alison," said McGonagall. "They came up with a suitable punishment for him. Lily got closer to James during her stay at his house but Alison soon joined her and grew close to Sirius too. This should cheer you up," she said, looking at James. "You'll soon hear plenty of sweet, romantic moments, as this love affair is finally going to become consciously two-sided. That should inspire you to impress Rosalie."**

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_How was it? Let me know with a review! Can I make 200 reviews this time? :)_**  
**


	26. Chapter 25

**_So much for updating twice a week...__this chapter really took some work! I'd completely run out of ideas. I'm not extremely happy with it but I hope you guys like it!_**

**_Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for your reviews! I crossed 200 reviews and that is really amazing! You guys are awesome. And a thank you to everyone who alerted/put my story on their favourites too!_**

**_Disclaimer : I don't own HP...  
_**

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Two weeks after the Derek incident, Lily was feeling much, much better. She and James' parents had become very good friends. She spent more time with Sirius and James and found that beneath the arrogant, don't-care attitudes they displayed; they were exceptionally nice and extremely intelligent boys.

One evening, Lily wandered around James' house, hopelessly lost. His mansion was huge. She had gone to the west side of the house in search of a balcony to watch the sunset from but now, she was roaming the long corridors with no idea where she was or where she was going. She stopped in front of two large doors set midway down the corridor. Curious, she pushed them open and gasped in wonder.

She was standing in a library. There were large windows all along the opposite wall and desks along the other three walls. The room was long and spacious and filled with neatly spaced bookshelves, each shelf crammed with books, all stacked alphabetically.

She walked forward to the closest shelf and gazed up at the books. There were so many titles in many languages. She noticed that there were Muggle and wizard books. Her eyes lit up as they fell on a familiar title. She reached up but her fingertips only brushed the bottom of the book. She looked around for a ladder or a stool but found neither. Shrugging, she jumped, but couldn't pull the book out. She jumped again, missed the book and stumbled over a fold in the carpet. She would have fallen but a strong arm wrapped around her waist, steadying her.

A familiar chuckle sounded in her ear as James reached up with his other arm and pulled out the book she'd wanted. "You really need a few more inches Lily," he said.

She turned around and nearly collided with his chest. He was _right_ behind her, one arm still around her waist while the other held her book. He stepped back, eyes twinkling as she blushed at their proximity.

"Grimm's Fairytales?" he asked, handing her the book.

"I like them," she said defensively, moving to one of the long seats below the windows. "How come you have Muggle books in here?"

"They're good to read. Muggle fiction is definitely better than wizard fiction," James replied, sitting next to her. "I should've known you'd find the library sooner or later. You have quite the nose for books."

"I stumbled on it by accident," Lily admitted. "I was actually searching for a balcony to watch the sunset from."

"There's one on the floor above us. But you can see it just fine from here too," said James, pointing out of the window. Sure enough, the sun was clearly visible over the horizon.

"What were _you_ doing in here?" Lily asked.

"I was reading."

Lily looked skeptical.

"I really was reading! Just because I pretend not to know where the school library is doesn't mean I don't enjoy reading. I occasionally do sneak into the Hogwarts Library to grab a nice book. I don't tell anyone because they'd all think it wasn't cool," said James.

"And because you're a Marauder, you need to be cool."

"Exactly!"

Lily grinned. "I believe you."

James looked surprised that she had believed him so quickly even if he was telling the truth this time. "How come?" he asked. "You usually ask about twenty questions before you believe anything I say."

"Three reasons." Said Lily. "It explains why you wear glass, you smelled lemon wood polish when we brewed Amortentia and this place positively reeks of it and…I trust you." She looked away, blushing again and glad that her red face was camouflaged by the light of the setting sun.

James looked surprised and then he smirked, "So you remember what I smelled?"

"Oh shut up."

He chuckled again. "Don't worry, I remember what you smelled too," he said. He smirked knowingly, well aware that he smelled like oranges. He took a deep breath, catching a hint of her rose perfume that _he_ had smelled in the potion. The scent was invigorating. He shook his head, drawing his mind away from love potions. He looked at the book on her lap. "Why do you like fairy tales?"

"They have happy endings. Wouldn't you like to carry your princess off into the sunset?" said Lily.

James' eyes twinkled mischievously. "How about I get my broom and fly _you_ off into the sunset?" he said, gesturing out of the window at the sun which was now sinking below the horizon.

Lily's cheeks turned a little pink when she realized he'd called her a princess. "No way! You're not a prince!" she said.

"Oh? And in what way do I not fit the role? I'm rich and handsome and brave and loyal…"

"Princes also don't have heads twice normal size."

He laughed, "And here I was thinking you were hanging out with me_ because_ I deflated my head a bit."

"Okay, maybe it's only one and a half times as big as a normal head," said Lily. She watched him as he laughed again, the deep sound echoing in the room. She had to admit, he really did fit the part of a prince. He was definitely as handsome as all the princes she'd read about. His jet black hair stuck up so messily it was endearing and his face had a sculpted look. His features were not sharp, they were soft, yet strong. The intoxicating scent of oranges filled her nostrils as she unknowingly moved closer. His hazel eyes were ever so slightly magnified behind his round glasses that only enhanced his bookish appeal and in the red-orange glow of the setting sun, his eyes seemed almost golden and were so, so entrancing…

"Um…Lily?"

She snapped out of her trance immediately. She had moved closer and closer to him unconsciously and now they were only inches apart, both faces red as the setting sun. James was longing to reach out and close the gap. In fact, he'd tucked his hands under his knees to avoid grabbing her and snogging her senseless. He was really exercising every bit of self-control. Lily drew back suddenly and he let out a breath of relief he hadn't realized he was holding.

Lily however, was on the verge of panic. "_Why am I beginning to feel…attracted…to James? He's Potter! We're supposed to be friends! This is not good, this is not good, this is NOT GOOD!" _she thought, looking extremely harassed.

Sirius interrupted her mental freaking out session.

"I looked all over the house for you two. What were you doing all cozy and secluded in here?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows. To his surprise, both of them blushed. He gave James a look that said 'I want to hear about this.' Aloud, he said, "Alison's just arrived for the last couple of weeks of holidays. Oh and Remus and Peter aren't coming again these last two weeks. Remus has some relatives over and Peter's got his Apparition test next week."

"Alison's here?" squealed Lily racing outside the room, delighted. She came back five seconds later. "Er…how do I get back down to the hall exactly?"

**X-X-X**

A few hours later, Lily and Alison were safely ensconced in Lily's room. James' parents had taken to Alison very quickly and as Lily put it, Alison did have a way of charming everyone she met.

"You're especially charming to a certain Sirius Black," teased Lily.

"Oh come on! At least you and James almost kissed twice! Sirius…all he does is tease me," said Alison.

Lily had spent the last half hour recounting the events of the last few weeks. She buried her face in her hands. "I don't know what's wrong with me Alison," she moaned. "My stomach does flips when I see him; I blush when he gets close; my heart starts racing when he flashes that adorable grin at me. Look, I just used _adorable_ to describe James Potter, my old worst enemy. He's supposed to be my friend, maybe one of my best friends. We've been great friends for nearly five months now and we were friendly for quite a while before that too. I never had these _tingles_ when he comes close and I smell that wonderful scent of oranges on him and – am I going insane?"

Alison smiled broadly at Lily, "It's finally happened! Lily you're not going insane, you're falling in love!"

"Which is the same thing as I would never fall in love with James if I were sane."

"Stop resisting it Lily! You just described obvious signs of attraction and you're finally realized what we've known for so long. You fancy him," said Alison firmly.

Lily shook her head, "Oh no. I am _not_ falling in love with James. He's a good looking guy - oh who am I kidding? He's hot – and I'm only physically attracted to him. I'll grow out of it. I can_not_ fancy him."

In the next room -

"I _so_ fancy her."

"You must really love her if you're willing to wait for her to realize she likes you too. Especially after two near-kisses," said Sirius.

"I've always known she's amazing but now, after spending so much time with her, I've realized she's absolutely marvelous. And believe me, I had to keep reminding myself that I'd screw up the chance I finally have to stop myself from pushing her against a bookcase and snogging her. She was so close, her lips are so pink and enticing and-"

"Whoa, that's enough," said Sirius.

"Sorry," said James sheepishly.

"Besides, pushing girls against bookcases is Moony's style. Remember that one time he was in the Library with Mary and we were trying to find a book in there for Charms?" said Sirius.

Both boys shuddered at the memory of the comparatively prudish Remus snogging the daylights out of Mary in the back of the Library.

"At least it gave you an excuse to never enter the Library again," teased James.

Sirius snorted, "Like I _need_ an excuse. Oh yeah, I was thinking-"

"_There's_ a first."

"Shut it. Johnson really got off with a very unembarassing punishment than he should have got from Lily. I heard he lives in a village not far from here. Do you want to pull a prank on him?"

James hesitated. "Lily would kill me."

"I'm willing to take full responsibility. She won't mind me doing it, she'll think it's very older-brotherly."

James shook his head. "You go ahead. I don't want to suffer Lily's wrath at this stage."

Sirius gazed at James. He understood that James didn't want to lose Lily when he was so close to finally getting her to fall in love with him of her own free will. He walked out of James' room to go to his own, when he bumped into Alison. An idea occurred to him. "Hey Alison, do you want to pull a prank on Johnson for hurting Lily?"

"Are you serious?" she asked.

"Of course, who else would be Sirius?"

"Sirius!"

"Right sorry. Yeah, I am serious – both the noun and the adjective."

Alison considered it and then grinned. "What did you have in mind?"

**X-X-X**

Sirius and Alison apparated to Derek's village.

"That's his house," said Alison, pointing at a house a little way down the street. It was quite early in the morning and no one was around.

"Right. I'm going in," said Sirius. He'd told her about the Invisibility Cloak the previous night. He now pulled it on. Alison levitated him up to Derek's window and Sirius unlocked it and climbed into the room. Derek was sprawled on the bed, fast asleep. Sirius quickly performed a charm on all of Derek's clothes and poured a few drops of a potion on the boy's head, careful not to wake him.

"Phase one, complete," he said when Alison levitated him back down.

Alison and Sirius followed Derek around all day. By lunchtime, their prank had begun to show. The potion had made him lose a lot of hair without realizing it.

"He's shedding like a cat. He should be bald soon," said Alison, grinning.

Sure enough, the last few strands of hair fell off as he headed to a small hotel. When he walked into a hotel for lunch, he glanced at a mirror on the wall.

"WHERE THE HECK IS MY HAIR?" he screamed. Everyone turned to look at him and burst into laughter. There were many girls from the village, giggling and pointing at him and this made him desperate to get out fast. He downed a large milkshake quickly and ran out, conjuring up a hat as he went.

Confident that no one would notice his lack of hair since his head was now hidden under a hat, he strolled into a park where he knew lots of girls gathered in the afternoon. Sirius and Alison hid behind some bushes as Derek flirted with a girl as he did everyday. She suddenly gave him a dirty look and walked away. When the same thing happened thrice, he demanded to know what was wrong.

The girl glared at him. "You think I want to go out with _you?" _she said, throwing his shirt a dirty look before walking away.

He looked down at his shirt, confused. It said 'No.1 Womanizer' in neon letters that glittered. He looked around wildly, angry that someone had done that to him and he hadn't realized at all. Sirius and Alison hid behind their bushes, holding in their laughter as Derek cursed loudly and tried every counter-jinx he could think of, though none made any difference to the words on his shirt.

"Wait till he finds out _all_ his clothes, including his Hogwarts robes, have the same thing written on them," chortled Sirius.

Alison quickly shot a jinx at him. His hat flew off and his bald, shiny head now started flashing different colours. That drew some very odd looks from passers-by and giggles from all the girls. Derek cursed loudly again and stormed out of the park, trying to keep his head low (not that it was easy or even possible with all the colours). He did try conjuring another hat but a mysterious wind kept blowing it off.

Alison and Sirius collapsed behind their bush, laughing. Alison turned gleefully to Sirius and collided with his nose. "Ow! It's working out fine don't you think?" she said, glancing at Derek trying to make his way out of the park. When she turned to Sirius she was surprised to see him only centimeters away from her lips, his grey eyes locked on to hers.

"Yes," he whispered, "It's working out just fine."

Alison got the impression he wasn't talking about Derek as he move closer and she closed her eyes, waiting…

A gaggle of giggling girls shrieked with loud laughter as they spotted Derek's head even from that distance and Sirius and Alison immediately jumped away.

"**Why is it everyone's interrupted when they're just about to kiss?" asked James exasperatedly.**

"**No one's love story is as simple as getting kissed the first time," said McGonagall, grinning.**

"**So Derek went around with a flashing head and clothes?" grinned Albus.**

"**Oh yes. His clothes changed to messages that varied from self-degrading to downright rude. Sirius and Alison also made him see grotesque reflections of his face in every reflective surface he passed on the way home. He saw himself with horns, excessive nose and/or ear hair, a handlebar moustache…pretty much everything a face can have," said Dumbledore, as the boys laughed.**

"**It's getting late," said McGonagall. "You two should go get some dinner."**

"**Oh come on, Professor, just one more incident? Please?" begged James.**

"**Oh all right. I'll tell you about the surprise that arrived with their Hogwarts letters that year," said McGonagall.**

"Hogwarts letters," said James as he and Sirius entered Lily's room and handed her and Alison their envelopes.

There was silence for a few minutes while everyone read their letters. Suddenly, Lily let out a shriek. "Head Girl! Oh my gosh, I'm Head Girl! Can you believe it? I wonder who Head Boy is."

Alison shrieked too and pulled Lily into a hug. "Not unexpected, but Head Girl, Lily, that's amazing. It's such an honour!" she said.

Sirius gave her a bone-crushing hug too. "Excellent now I can break all the rules I want and you can favour me Lily. I'm so proud of you! I'd like to see the looks on the Slytherins' faces when they find out!"

"Sirius, I'll still give you detention if you break rules," said Lily sternly.

"James?" said Alison. "Aren't you going to congratulate Lily?"

"Prongs?" asked Sirius, looking concerned as James was still staring at his letter, looking dazed. All eyes on him, James reached into his envelope and pulled something out. He took a deep breath, looked directly at Lily and held up a shining gold badge with 'HB' engraved on it.

Three jaws dropped.

Alison snatched the letter out of James' hands. "He's not lying," she whispered.

"Er…Prongs? You didn't plan this with Moony and switch names on the letter did you?" asked Sirius tentatively.

James shook his head, his hazel eyes looking nowhere but right into Lily's green ones which still looked shocked. Then Lily blinked. She smiled and held her hand out. "Congratulations!" she said sincerely.

"Okay, that settles it. I'm dreaming. There is no way Lily would have _no _problem with James being Head Boy. Dumbledore is _clearly_ off his rocker," said Sirius,

"I _am_ happy. You're not dreaming," said Lily.

"But Remus –"

"Remus has his furry little problem to deal with," said Lily with a glance at Alison. "Come on Sirius. Dumbledore's eccentric but he's not daft. If he doesn't have a problem with James being Head Boy, I don't either. If it were the James I knew a couple of years ago, I would have freaked out, but he's deflated his head now. Frankly, I was afraid I'd end up sharing a dorm with a Slytherin prefect."

"You get to share a _dorm_?" demanded Alison.

"We get a whole tower to ourselves. The Heads' tower is the one right beside the Gryffindor one. We have a common room, bathroom and separate rooms for ourselves," replied Lily.

Sirius and Alison exchanged sly looks at the mention of separate rooms. James kept his face carefully expressionless though he was fighting a smirk.

"Well I'd better tell my parents," James said and backed out of the room. The other three joined him and were soon engulfed in all the hugging and congratulating by a very thrilled Mr. and Mrs. Potter.

"Oh this is absolutely wonderful! Let's all go out to dinner to celebrate," said Mrs. Potter.

She dragged her husband into the kitchen to make arrangements for a restaurant. "Well Richard, I honestly didn't think this day would come," she sighed to her husband.

"Neither did I. But I'm proud of James," replied Mr. Potter.

"So am I. How about we go to 'Alimentation du Paradis' for dinner tonight? It's a good place for a formal dinner," said Mrs. Potter.

Her husband's eyes twinkled with mischief just like his son's often did. "Why don't we do our part in helping James with Lily?"

Mrs. Potter smirked, "What did you have in mind?"

**X-X-X**

At 6.45 that evening, everyone assembled in the living room.

"Why isn't everyone else dressed?" asked Lily. Only she and James were dressed for the occasion.

"Oh you see dear, we can't go. Sirius has a stomach ache," said Mrs. Potter, staring pointedly at Sirius who was grinning.

"What? Oh- oh yeah. My stomach really hurts. Must be all those brownies, ow!" Sirius said quickly.

"You made brownies? How come I didn't get any?" James asked his mum suspiciously.

"Sirius ate them all."

"What about you?" Lily asked Alison.

"Oh, I left my purse at Diagon Alley this morning. I need to go find it," said Alison.

"You didn't _bring_ a purse," Lily said.

"Yes I did. I just charmed it to fit in to my pocket," said Alison firmly.

"Your father's working late tonight," said Mrs. Potter to James, "But we feel you two should still go out and celebrate. It's your special night after all. Go on, we made reservations. Have fun!" She literally shoved them out of the house with a quick wink at James.

He smiled and shook his head at his crazy family. He took Lily's hand. "I guess it's just us then." They Disapparated, arriving in a small room inside the restaurant. They were led to their table and they ordered quickly.

"So this is a wizarding restaurant?" asked Lily.

"One of the best for formal dining," said James. He smiled at her. "You look lovely tonight."

Lily blushed at the compliment but thanked him. They both looked around, a slightly uncomfortable silence between them. The restaurant was large and lit by fairy lights and huge chandeliers. Soft music was playing in the background. Despite being a wizarding place, everyone was dressed in formal Muggle attire. The tables were spaced far enough apart to ensure the privacy of the guests. Little fairies drifted lazily about the room and the windows looked out on a huge estate.

James turned his gaze back to Lily. She was wearing a knee-length blue dress that flattered her very well. Her hair fell in waves around her face and shoulders and to James, she looked more beautiful than any of the rich witches with all their jewels that were dining that night.

Lily looked at James too. He was dressed in a formal shirt and trousers but he still managed to pull off such a simple look with extreme grace and look good.

"Lily," he said, "are you really okay with me being Head Boy?" he asked quietly.

"Well…Remus would have been the better choice," she answered carefully.

"I think Dumbledore's mad. I mean, there's a reason I wasn't a Prefect. Why did he pick me? I don't even know what duties I'll have. I'm scared. What if he's made the wrong decision and I screw up?" said James, running a hand through his hair nervously.

Lily frowned as she pulled his hand away from his hair. She smoothed his black locks back into some order, resisting a strong urge to keep running her hands through his silky, smooth black hair. "It had at least looked like you'd _tried_ to comb it," she said to explain her actions.

She took his hand. "Listen, Dumbledore's weird, but he's no fool. There's a reason he's made you prefect. You've deflated your head now, you've handled responsibility well with Quidditch and other things but more than anything, you're a leader. Remus is too soft to manage the entire school. He's too forgiving. Everyone looks up to you, all the kids want to be like you. You don't just lie down and take orders from someone. That's why Dumbledore – and I – think you'll make a good Head Boy. People need a role model now when the Dark side is growing so strong both inside and outside the castle. You're a troublemaker but your heart's in the right place. Don't worry. Whenever you need help with being Head Boy, I'm there for you," she said kindly.

He smiled with relief, "Thanks for believing in me." His face became mischievous again, "You're sure you won't mind sharing a tower with me?" he asked, leaning in close.

She blushed, but smirked and leaned even closer, her breath tickling his face, "Are _you_ sure you won't mind?" she asked, her voice low.

James gulped and drew back, his face red and his eyes smouldering, "I think I'll be okay," he said quickly. Luckily, their food arrived just in time. They ate slowly, laughing and talking. However, they were thinking about what had just happened.

"_Oh my gosh, I'm flirting with James Potter!" _Lily thought, slightly horrified and confused.

"_Oh my gosh, she's flirting with me!" _thought James, happily.

They managed to stop thinking about it and just enjoyed the rest of their evening. They apparated back home and James walked up to their rooms with her. He stopped outside her room.

"Well that was like any Muggle date - er – dinner," said Lily, correcting herself quickly.

"I really had fun," said James, grinning. He suddenly leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. "Good night, Lily."

"Good night James." She walked into her room but as she changed out of her dress, she could ignore the fact that she had wished the night would end like all other Muggle dates – with a kiss on the lips.

"What in the world is wrong with me?" she muttered to herself before turning off the lights.

"**Ah finally! Physical attraction," said Albus.**

**McGonagall looked at the clock. "Look at the time! You'll miss dinner if you don't head down right now. We'll continue tomorrow."**

**The boys nodded and left her office. They finished dinner and were about to head back to Gryffindor Tower when they heard Rosalie.**

"**James Sirius Potter, you are coming with me.**

* * *

_ A big thank you to my friends for giving me ideas for the prank! Oh and I have to confess that in the last chapter I said James buys Rosalie a gift...well I was just buying time...I have no idea what that gift is going to be. If you have any ideas, let me know !_

_Did you like it? Please review! :)_**  
**


	27. Chapter 26

_Thanks so much for all your reviews! Thanks to anyone who read/alerted/put my story on favourites. I was really glad that so many people read my last chapter since I know everyone's probably busy with exams...  
_

_I hope you like this chapter!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own HP_

* * *

**James turned, wondering what he'd done. Rosalie took one look at his terrified face and burst into laughter.**

"**Stop looking so scared! You're not in trouble," she said, smiling.**

**James let out a sigh of relief. Albus mysteriously melted away as Rosalie came closer.**

"**Come on," she ordered, leading James out of the Great Hall and into the grounds. **

"**Where are we going?" he asked, liking her new bossy mood.**

"**The lake," she replied.**

"**It's frozen."**

"**Exactly."**

"**You know, you'd make a good Marauder, except you can't keep a poker face if we got into trouble," said James.**

"**Marauder?" asked Rosalie, confused.**

**James cursed himself for saying that. "Yeah, it's what my grandfather and his friends called themselves when they were in school. Apparently they were real troublemakers and he was called James Potter too," he said quickly. "My dad told me," he invented.**

"**I see troublemaking runs in the family. And did you just call me, model student, a troublemaker?" said Rosalie.**

"**Er, you would have made a good one if you weren't a model student," he said.**

**She grinned at his discomfort, "Don't worry. Coming from you, I'll take that as a compliment."**

**He smiled in relief but looked apprehensive as they stopped at the lake. Two pairs of ice skates were waiting at the edge. "No way," he said.**

"**Why not?" she asked, looking hurt.**

"**It's a good idea and all," he said hurriedly, "but I don't know how to skate."**

**She smiled, "Don't worry, I'll teach you."**

**James still looked a little scared, but she helped him put on the skates. She stepped out on to the ice confidently, hands behind her back, moving easily. James followed her but he hadn't taken more than a couple of steps on the ice before he fell over, arms flailing wildly as he slid on his stomach all the way to Rosalie's feet. He looked up to find her trying hard not to laugh.**

"**This is not funny," he groaned, rolling over. Even upside down, he found her beautiful.**

**Rosalie couldn't help thinking he looked cute, his hair all messy and just the hint of a pout on his lips as he looked up at her. She held out her hand, "Come on. Let me teach you how to do this," she said.**

**He pulled himself up, holding on to her hands tightly. "I'm going to fall," he muttered, as he wobbled unsteadily.**

"**I won't let you fall," said Rosalie, looking right into his eyes. She guided him carefully across the lake, instructing him to mirror her movements.**

**James' cheeks were red from the fact that they were so close **_**and**_** holding hands and he was glad he could blame his blush on the cold. They skated around for almost an hour, the moonlight making the whole scene more romantic. Rosalie's eyes seemed even greyer in the moonlight.**

"**You're doing well," she said softly.**

**James smiled at her happily. He let go of her hand to brush a lock of her hair behind her ear. Her breath caught in her throat as his hand brushed against her cheek. HE was about to brush her hair back when suddenly, he caught hold of her shoulder, eyes wide. They both tumbled over, slid all the way to the edge of the lake and straight into the snow.**

**James burst into laughter as they lay side by side, breathing heavily.**

"**You idiot! Why did you let go of my hand?" demanded Rosalie, but she was laughing too. James kicked off his skates and helped Rosalie take hers off too. He helped her up and they walked over to the beech tree where James melted a patch of snow so they could sit on dry ground.**

"**Thank you for the Quidditch and the company," said Rosalie. She was still holding James' hand.**

"**Thank you for giving me a second chance," he said.**

"**Do you want to go back in? It's getting a little cold out here," she said.**

**He wrapped his arms around her. She stiffened for a moment and then relaxed, snuggling closer. "Does this warm you up?" James asked, smirk planted firmly on his face.**

"**You know, I bet I could wipe that smirk off your face," said Rosalie, a smirk on her own face.**

"**Oh really?" challenged James.**

**She tilted her head up and kissed him on the cheek. His smirk was immediately replaced by a look of absolute shock. **

"**Told you," Rosalie said triumphantly. The next moment, **_**her**_** smirk disappeared as James kissed her full on the mouth, his hands in her hair.**

**Beep. Beep. Beep.**

**It was absolute bliss for him, if not for that incessant beeping-**

**Beep. Beep. Beep.**

**What on earth **_**was **_**that noise?**

**BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!**

"**What-where-why?" James nearly fell out of his bed as he looked wildly around for his alarm clock. He slammed his hand on the 'off' button, very annoyed to be woken at that exact moment. He ran his hands through his hair, trying to hold on to his dream. He sighed as he got out of bed. The skating hadn't been a dream. All of that had happened. He touched his cheek and smiled. The kiss on the cheek had happened to. But after that, they'd only laughed and talked and gone back up to the castle. The **_**other**_** kiss had just been a dream. **

"**Ah well, it's progress," he said to himself, smiling.**

**After a quick breakfast with some eating and lots of talking with Rosalie, he left for McGonagall's office when Clara Bell told him Albus had already gone up there. He pushed open the door and beamed around at all the portraits and the two people in the room.**

"**Good morning!" he said happily.**

"**I see someone had a good evening," smirked Albus.**

"**She held my hand for an hour, snuggled up to me **_**and **_** kissed me on the cheek and she did all that voluntarily," said James, still beaming.**

**Snape shook his head, "He's so much like his grandfather," he said to McGonagall.**

"**I know, I miss the old James," she said.**

"**I don't," said Snape bluntly.**

"**Since we're talking about this, why don't we start with the story? Coincidentally, we're at the part where James got a kiss on the cheek too. From two people," said McGonagall.**

"**Two?" asked Al.**

**Snape snickered, "One of them was Black."**

"**What?"**

**McGonagall smiled, "The more pleasant one was Lily."**

James faced his first challenge as Head Boy during the Prefects' meeting on the train.

"_You're _Head Boy? But…but you're James Potter!" said one of the Ravenclaw Prefects in disbelief as he saw James.

"Yes, I am James Potter. No, Remus and I did not switch letters or bodies. No, this is not a prank. Dumbledore's probably lost his marbles because for some reason known only to him, he's made me Head Boy, so we're all just going to have to live with that. If it's any help, I can honestly say that I _have_ gotten a lot more serious over the last year and pranks have come down by 35%. I'm as surprised as you all are by my appointment, but I hope to prove that Dumbledore's not made a mistake and be as good a Head Boy as any of you would have made."

A stunned silence followed his words. Then a Hufflepuff boy spoke up, "We're behind you, Potter. With You-Know-Who on the loose, I think Dumbledore's made a wise choice."

Lily had smiled at that. Even the Slytherins didn't seem to want to question James' leadership. Lily had to admit, there was something about James Potter that commanded respect and made him a natural leader. A very _handsome_ leader. She shook her head violently at the thought.

"What's wrong?" asked James.

They were heading back to their own compartments together. "It's nothing," she replied quickly. She hoped he didn't know how to perform Legilimency. It would not be good if he found out how often he was popping up in her head recently.

Soon, they arrived at Hogwarts and Lily and James were taken to their special tower. Lily stepped through the door first and gasped.

The room was simple but comfortable. A sofa and two armchairs sat in front of a merrily crackling fire. Two desks were placed in a corner with a large bookcase in between them. A wireless sat on a stool nearby. One door led to a bathroom and a flight of stairs led up to a landing where two doors faced each other, a plaque on each door identifying whose room was which. Each room had the same basic furniture decorated in red and gold to signify their House. They came back downstairs and sat down on the plush sofa.

"This is a dream come true for you, isn't it?" James said, smiling at the rapturous look on Lily's face as she looked around the room.

She nodded, "I finally feel like I've achieved something in all my years at Hogwarts."

He put his arm around her shoulders, "Do you believe all dreams come true?"

"I believe any dream will come true as long as you really want it to," she said.

He looked at her, his eyes meeting hers. Once again, he realized how close they were at that moment, both physically and emotionally. "I've been wanting one of my dreams to come true for a while now. Sometimes, I've felt there was no hope, but now, I feel like I'm closer than ever to seeing it come true."

"Maybe you should just give it some time," said Lily quietly. She knew what he was talking about and she could not deny that she had been thinking about the matter a lot.

He nodded, "I'll wait as long as I have to."

Lily got up quickly. "I'm tired and we have a long day of classes tomorrow. Good night James." she disappeared up the stairs.

James sighed. He knew Lily had understood what he'd been trying to say. If she wanted him to wait, he would. He remembered what Remus had said to him on the train.

"_From her letters, I think she's accepting the idea of relationship with you. She just afraid that _she_ might be going through a passing crush and she doesn't want to lose you as a friend. She's not thick, she's seen what you've done for her all these past months. She doesn't know you love her, but she's aware that she can break your heart and she doesn't want that. One thing I can tell you for sure though, if she ever does start going out with you, it'll be a long, if not permanent, relationship."_

James decided to take Remus' advice. He would let Lily know he still cared about her very much every chance he got but he would wait for her to get used to the idea before saying anything.

**X-X-X**

"Good morning," said James, as he and Lily joined their friends for breakfast the next day.

"Did you have a good _night_?" Sirius asked grinning slyly at them.

Lily dropped her bag on his foot.

"Ow! What do you carry in there woman? Rocks or books?" he said, rubbing his foot.

"Seriously though, Sirius, we just became Head students, we didn't get married," said James, rolling his eyes.

Sirius was spared from answering as Remus turned up at that moment.

"Timetables," he said, handing one out to everyone. He gave the last one to Mary along with a quick kiss as he sat down next to her. The others closed their eyes pointedly and Mary glared at them all.

"Like you lot are a bunch of prudes," she snapped.

"DADA in the morning? I bet that new teacher will make us work on the toughest spell in the book. He had a pretty strict look about him," said Lily.

As she predicted, the teacher, Professor Thornton _did_ set them a hard spell.

"Patronuses," he said, earning gasps of disbelief from the class. He held up a hand to silence them. "I want to start the year with them. Many of you should be strong enough to produce one by the end of the class, especially as today is a fine sunny day. Also you are fresh from the euphoria of holidays so you should easily be able to think of a nice happy memory." He gave them a quick demonstration and then let them try it.

No one was able to do it the first time and the room was filled with silver vapour. A few minutes into the class-

"Expecto Patronum!" A large shaggy dog burst out of Sirius' wand and bounded around the class before disappearing.

"Well done, Mr. Black!" said Thornton.

"What did you think of?" demanded Remus.

Sirius looked extremely pleased at having mastered the spell before Remus. "Easy. I just imagined myself drowning my dear cousin Bella in a vat of boiling oil."

James and Peter laughed as Remus looked stern. James looked over to where Lily was trying the spell. She glanced at him too and in the instant their eyes connected, they thought of the same memory – the time they'd hugged in Lily's room.

"Expecto Patronum," they said together. Immediately, two figures burst out of the ends of their wands. Everyone gasped at the two animals – a stag and a doe. Lily looked shocked and James looked torn between surprise and delight. The patronuses dissolved and Thornton applauded.

"Well done. Might I take the liberty of asking if you two are going out? Such counterpart patronuses are quite rare," he said.

James shook his head. He glanced at Lily but she had turned away, avoiding his gaze.

She continued to avoid him all day. James didn't see her in the evening as he had Quidditch practice and returned only after dinner. Sirius decided to sneak into Hogsmeade for some food so James headed down to the kitchens alone.

Meanwhile, Lily was in the kitchen herself, thinking . She was scared of what the patronuses might mean for her and James. She wasn't sure she wanted to be in a relationship with him yet. She could no longer deny that she was attracted to him and it wasn't just physical. She had never seen the James Potter who could understand her so well. But even as she thought that, she had to contradict herself. Even when he used to annoy her, he had always tried to do something sweet. He _knew_ her like no one else did. Now she was flirting with him and enjoying it. She could no longer deny that she actually _liked_ him. She couldn't deny that every time she saw Remus and Mary, she thought of herself and James. The problem was, she didn't know what to think of her new feelings.

"Lily?"

She jumped, startled out of her thoughts. She turned to find none other than her problem, James Potter, standing behind her.

"Why are you washing dishes?" he asked, his eyes moving to her soap-suds-covered hands and the sink at which she was standing.

"It helps me think. The elves didn't like it at first but now they don't mind so much as long as I don't wash too many dishes," she said, attempting a smile.

He grinned, "You look cute with soap on your nose."

She frowned, "I don't have soap on my nose."

"You do now," he said, poking her nose with a soapy finger.

"Hey!" She slapped him lightly, covering his whole cheek with soap. "Now we're even," she said softly.

"My whole face is covered with soap! How is this even?" James protested but he was grinning. They wiped the soap off their faces and James settled at a table with his food.

"How was practice?" Lily asked, settling beside him.

"First day back and Johanna Thomson calls a _grueling_ practice," he groaned. "She's one tough sixth year." He looked at her. "What did you think about down here?"

"Patronuses."

"Ah, come on Lily, it was probably just a coincidence."

"What if it's not?"

"Well then, you'd be dating the awesome James Potter."

She punched him in the arm. "Ow! You're violent! It doesn't set anything in stone Lily. I bet there are plenty of other blokes with a stag Patronus. There might even be some girls with the same shape and you're not going to go out with all of them, are you? But who knows? Maybe you'll find some other guy with a stag Patronus whom you'll go out with," he said.

Lily smiled, "But of course, he won't be as awesome as you."

"Of course not! No one can beat _the _James Potter."

She stuffed a chocolate cupcake into his mouth. "Shut up James." But she was smiling widely and for once she listened to the voice in her head that said, "It doesn't have to be a coincidence."

James finished eating soon and they set off for their tower together, Lily laughing at James' jokes.

"Oh yeah, we have patrols together tomorrow, don't we? I get to spend _more_ time with you," he said.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Like I'm not spending enough time with you already."

"Eternal punishment. This must be Hell for you, eh Evans?"

She linked her arm through his, "If this is Hell, I'd like to see Heaven. I doubt it would be much better," she said, quietly.

"So you don't mind spending time with me then?"

"Would I be walking back from the kitchens with you if I _did_ mind?" She knew she was flirting with him again, but she couldn't help it. There was just something about the way her heart sped up when he smiled at her that made her want to make him smile at her again and again. "You have sauce on your face by the way," she said, changing the subject and pulling her mind away from him.

He rubbed at his cheek. "Did I get rid of it?" he asked.

She reached up and rubbed it off, her fingers tingling as she brushed them across his cheek.

He touched the spot, his cheeks red now. He ran his fingers across a small cut on his cheek that had been covered by the sauce. "Hmm. That explains why this cut had been stinging all this while."

"Don't be such a baby. You can barely see it. Did you get it during Quidditch practice?" said Lily.

"Yeah. The Snitch flew past me and one of its wings cut me. It still hurts a bit."

"Oh, be a man Potter," she said rolling her eyes.

"It does sting, you know," he said, indignantly, "Maybe a kiss would make it better?" he said, expecting her to glare at him.

She faced him, glaring. Then she suddenly kissed him on the cheek. "Will you stop whining now?" she asked, smirking but blushing at the same time. She did not know what had given her the courage to do it.

James' face was completely red. His eyes were wide with astonishment. They just stood there, gazing into each other's eyes, both of them longing to move closer but rooted to the spot.

"Ahem."

Lily spun round to find an amused Remus looking at them.

"Remus? It's nearly curfew. What're you doing down here?" she said quickly.

"Oh I just wanted to go to the kitchens for a snack in case I feel hungry later. Don't let me interrupt you," he said, grinning at their red faces. He walked past them quickly, winking at James on the way.

The two Head students pretty much ran to their tower and muttered a hasty "Good night" to each other before retreating into their own rooms.

The next morning –

"Why's James looking so dreamy?" hissed Sirius. James was just gazing into space, a goofy smile on his face.

"Maybe Lily kissed him," Remus said calmly when Peter shrugged.

Sirius snorted, "The world hasn't ended yet, so I doubt that."

Remus folded up his newspaper, a _very_ Marauder-like glint in his eye. "I bet she _did _kiss him."

"I bet she didn't."

"Not even on the cheek?"

"Nope."

"All right, Padfoot, how's this? I'll ask Lily if she kissed James on the cheek. If she says no, I'll kiss Peter on the cheek."

"You're on, Moony. If she says yes, I'll kiss James on the cheek in front of the staff table where everyone can see us," said Sirius.

Remus grinned. Mary, who'd listened to their conversation and knew quite well who was going to win the bet gave Remus an accusing but amused look. He winked at her and called out to Lily.

"Hey Lily! Did you kiss James yesterday?"

Lily bushed as she looked at three expectant Marauders. James gave her a small smile and nodded to say, "It's okay. It's just them."

"Yes, but only on the cheek," she said, her face the same colour as her hair.

Sirius' jaw dropped. He glared at Remus. "You knew all along didn't you?" he said.

"A bet is a bet, Padfoot. Consider this revenge for all the times you've borrowed and broken my favourite quills," said Remus, grinning.

"You're evil, Moony," muttered Sirius darkly. "Come on James." He grabbed a protesting James and dragged him to the front of the Hall.

"Sirius, what's going on?" demanded James.

"It's all Remus' fault," said Sirius. The whole Hall was looking at them, expecting some sort of prank. Sirius sighed and gave James a nice kiss on the cheek and ran back to his table, leaving a stunned James looking at the laughing crowd.

"**Ah, one of my favourite memories," said Snape.**

"**The only people who could embarrass the Marauders were the Marauders themselves," said Dumbledore, chuckling. "The look on James' face was priceless. It was somewhere between shock and disgust."**

"**He chased Sirius and Remus out of the Hall yelling about how he'd abuse his Head Boy powers and put them in detention with the Slytherins for the rest of the year," said McGonagall, smiling reminiscently. **

"**You didn't take away his badge for that, did you?" asked Al.**

"**No, I felt it was good for my students to laugh. With Voldemort gaining power, I knew we would need every chuckle and smile to keep our spirits up," sighed Dumbledore. **

**McGonagall nodded gravely, "Voldemort was trying to find a way to get close to the Marauders as he knew they would eventually join Dumbledore in the war. Now, he found one."**

"My Lord, Snape has just sent us this picture of the Potter boy and his friends as you requested," said a Death Eater.

Voldemort picked up the photograph with his long pale fingers and studied it closely. "The werewolf seems very close to this girl," he said, his eyes on Mary and Remus who were holding hands. "We will prove to the half-breed why monsters and humans do not mix. That should break his spirit," he said, lip curling.

"What about the rest of them, my Lord?" asked the Death Eater.

"We must be patient. They are protected by each other. They form a chain, each one linked strongly to the other. But every chain can be broken. All we need to do is find the weakest link," Voldemort said softly, cunning red eyes fixed on Peter Pettigrew.

* * *

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	28. Chapter 27

_Hey everyone! Thanks again for all your awesome reviews! Thanks to everyone who read or put this story on alerts or favourites too!_

_This chapter is a birthday present for my best friend! _

_Read and review :)  
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_Disclaimer : I don't own HP.  
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* * *

"Quidditch practice again?" Lily asked as James came into their tower.

"The first match is next week. We _have_ to win against Slytherin," he said.

"I agree with that. But, you're late for patrols again."

He sighed, "I'm sorry, it's a little hard balancing Quidditch and head duties. Give me a minute to get changed and then we can head out, okay?"

Lily nodded. She had to admit, James was dealing with his responsibilities very well. And he looked hot in that uniform. She shook her head again. She was doing that so often now, she'd given James the impression the Head tower was full of invisible mosquitoes. She couldn't help it, thoughts of James Potter kept invading her head more often than she would like. She and James set out on patrols a few minutes later, talking about schoolwork.

"What's the point of this, anyway?" James complained as they climbed another floor. "All we do is catch snogging couples."

"It can be eventful. Remember last week? We got to witness Sirius and Alison getting together."

"I have to admit, that was unexpected," said James, remembering that night.

_James pulled open the broom cupboard door to find Sirius trying to get away from a curly haired girl who was trying to push him against the shelves. _

"_James! Thank Merlin!" Sirius jumped out of the cupboard while the girl glared at him and then ran off on seeing the two Heads._

"_How come you were trying to get _out_ of there?" Lily asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise. Come to think of it, she hadn't spotted him in any of the broom cupboards or other secluded corners for many months now, even on her Prefect patrols the previous year._

_Before Sirius could answer, Alison arrived on the scene. "I knew it!" she shrieked, spotting Sirius' disheveled appearance. "Mary Lou Parker was bragging about how she'd get you to snog her. I didn't believe her but I guess I was wrong!"_

"_Alison," began Sirius, but she screamed at him again._

"_You promised me you'd stop. You said you'd give up snogging every random girl you met. You told me you'd found the right girl and you wanted to impress her."_

"_Alison-"_

"_I was helping you impress the mystery girl. I put so much effort into making you a better person and breaking your old habits. I started spending time with you and found I enjoyed it and I thought you really weren't the person you appeared to be. I thought you were much better than that. I thought the mystery girl was the luckiest person on earth to have caught your eye. I thought you were a good guy Bla-mmph!"_

_Lily and James stared in shock when Sirius kissed Alison cutting her off. He kept his arms around her waist as he gazed into her startled eyes._

"_The girl I found is _you_. I've fancied you for a long time now. I snogged all those other girls because I was afraid you were out of my league. I was afraid you'd reject me the minute I asked you out. So I told you I wanted to impress someone just to show you I can be nice if I really tyr. I didn't kiss Mary Lou. I was trying to get away from her because I'd promised you I'd change."_

_He released her with a sigh. "Guess I ruined my chances with you." He turned and started walking away._

_Alison's expression went from angry, to startled, to confused to tender in seconds. She ran after him, spun him around and kissed him. _

"_I thought your mystery girl was the luckiest girl alive because you went to such lengths to try and change for her. I still think so," she said, smiling._

"_So you'll go out with me?" asked Sirius, his grey eyes lighting up with delight._

"_Definitely."_

"_Well," said James, turning away from the snogging couple, "I didn't know patrols could be this dramatic."_

Lily shook her head at the memory. "Those two are crazy."

"Hence, they're perfect for each other," smirked James. "I guess Amortentia can get it right after all. They smelled each other didn't they?"

He suddenly blushed and so did Lily when they realized _they_ had smelled each other too.

"Er…forget I ever said that, actually. I want to show you something. My mates and I agreed that you should know about it now that we're friends," he said hastily, pulling something out of his pocket.

Lily slipped her hand into his, "We're more than just regular _friends_," she said.

He smiled at that, both of them understanding the implications of that statement. They sat down on a flight of stairs as James touched his wand to an ordinary-looking piece of parchment. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Lily's eyes widened as she realized what the ink spreading across the parchment was forming. "You made a map of Hogwarts?" She peered at it closely. "That's…that's _everyone_! It shows where everyone is too?"

James smiled smugly. "Where they are and at every minute of the day."

"That's incredible! You guys are brilliant," said Lily.

James beamed at the compliment. "You're not going to confiscate it?"

"Well a couple of years ago, I would have. But this is pure genius. It would be a dreadful waste to take this and lock it up in a dusty old drawer," she replied. "I respect intelligence and hard work no matter what the source and I don't believe in wasting it."

"You are an amazing sport, Lily," said James, impressed. "I've got something else to show you." He pulled out his Invisibility Cloak from another pocket.

Lily's jaw dropped. "That's an Invisibility Cloak," she whispered.

"Been in the family for generations," said James proudly.

"So _this_ is how you pull off your pranks unseen," she said, running her fingers along the smooth material until they touched JAems'. She drew back, blushing slightly.

"Shall we get back to the tower?" James asked.

Lily looked at him. "Can we go under your Cloak?"

"Why? We have every right to be out at this time," said James confused.

"I know. But it seems so cool! Please?" she said, giving him her best puppy-dog eyes.

He laughed, pulling the Cloak over them, "Face it Evans, _you_ just want to cuddle up close to me. Besides, I've never been able to resist those green eyes of yours."

"Shut up," Lily said. But her face had gone red. Getting close to him _had_ been an ulterior motive. Of late, all their conversations had ended up like that – innocent, but full of veiled flirty lines. He put his arm around her, their bodies very close under the Cloak. Neither of them minded the proximity thogh, they were actually enjoying it.

"**They obviously fancy each other very much. Why don't they just go out already?" said Albus.**

"**Lily wanted to be entirely sure she liked James. She still couldn't believe that she could just fall in love with a guy she thought she'd hated for so many years. But she became more sure of her feelings after the Quidditch match in the first week of October," answered McGonagall.**

"Good luck Sirius," said Alison, giving him a swift peck as she followed her friends out of the Great Hall. As usual, the hall was extra noisy on the morning of a Quidditch Match.

"Don't I get a kiss for luck too?" asked James with a wink as he caught Lily's wrist when she passed him.

She rolled her eyes but leaned down and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Good luck," she said, turning red again.

"Why don't you just ask her out?" asked Sirius as James gazed after her dreamily.

"It's not yet the right time," said James simply.

Sirius didn't have time to ponder the meaning of that as they were soon up in the air. James however, couldn't take his mind off Lily. Every now and then, he'd glance at her cheering in the stands. He focused his attention on the game, intercepting a pass and soaring towards the Slytherin Keeper.

"And it's Potter with the Quaffle, look at him go!" yelled the commentator. "Nice pass to Thompson – ooh, she's hit by a Bludger – Slytherin in possession. The Slytherin Chasers have only managed to get one goal past the Gryffindor Keeper but they're looking promising now. Brown with the Quaffle – he passes – oh, _nice_ catch by Potter, Gryffindor in possession again. Look at them play! Potter – Thompson – Wells – Potter again – these Chasers are showing off their pure talent here folks!"

"GRYFF- IN – DOR! GRYFF – IN – DOR!" chanted the crowd.

"And Potter scores! It's 50 – 10 Gryffindor!" yelled Drew Stewart, the commentator.

"GRYFF – IN – DOR!" yelled the crowd.

"The crowd's really keeping up that encouraging chant. Lily Evans seems to be leading them. Incidentally, our charming Head Girl could be the reason Potter's been dodging so many Bludgers today. Lapses of concentration, eh Potter?"

"Mr. Stewart, you are commentating, not running a gossip column!" Professor Sinistra yelled. SHe was in charge of commentary back then.

"All right professor. Potter dodges another Bludger and he _was_ glancing in Evans' direction. Ouch – okay, okay, professor. It's Slytherin in possession-"

"I'm going to kill him," growled Lily, looking at Stewart.

"He _has_ been glancing at you a lot," grinned Alison.

"Nice hit by Black! That Bludger's sure knocked the wind out of his brother, Regulus Black. Oh! Slytherin's just scored! Cunning use of their Beater and Chaser there," groaned Stewart. "It's 50 – 20 and Gryffindor's got the Quaffle. Ooh – Potter nearly drops it but manages to hold on. The boy's got some reflexes. Must be from all the times he's nearly been hexed by Evans."

James grinned in the air as Lily's magnified voice rang out across the pitch. "Stewart, one more mention of my alleged relationship and I will put you in detention for the rest of the month!"

"Merlin, no one lets me entertain! Thompson scores again making the score 60 -20. The Slytherin Beaters seem to be out for Ptoter's blood today. He's dodging Bludgers left and right! Wells has the Quaffle, she passes to Thompson who's streaking up the pitch – oh great swerve to avoid that Bludger – oh and that's an even better hit by Black again, the Slytherin Beater's going to have a blinding headache later judging by the way that Bludger made contact with his head – Thompson passes – Potter;s going for the goal – oh that's good strategy, he passes to Wells at the last moment – AND SHE SCORES! 70 – 20 to Gryffindor!"

The spectators screamed suddenly as one of the Slytherin Chasers collided with Johanna Thompson for no reason.

"As usual, The Slytherins are trying to attach Gryffindor's prodigious Chasers. A penalty is awarded. Thompson's heading for the goalposts," announced Stewart. James took advantage of the break to fly over to where Lily sat. She was right in the front of the stands and he flew close to her, turning his back to the game for a few seconds.

"Alright there, Evans?" he asked with a lopsided grin.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Eyes on the game, Potter," she said, amused. Suddenly, her eyes widened in horror and she pointed at something behind James. He turned, just registering her horrified scream of "Bludger!" The black ball hit him squaer in the chest, knocking him backwards off his broom and into the stands – right into Lily.

He hit his head hard against the stone benches. The last thing he saw before he lost consciousness was a flash of red hair, a pair of green eyes and a mouth screaming his name.

X-X-X

A low buzz of voices was all James registered at first.

"Wake up, please wake up," a voice said, clearer than the others.

"Li…Lily?" he croaked.

"James! Open your eyes!" said Remus' relieved voice.

He cracked open his eyes to find six pairs of eyes looking anxiously at handed him his glasses and the faces came into view. The worry vanished from Sirius' face on his right. He turned his head left and found the green eyes he was looking for. They were still worried.

"Are you all right?" Lily asked.

"I'll be fine," he said, sitting up in his hospital bed. He turned to Sirius. "The match?"

"We still won. Melissa caught the Snitch just as Johanna scored her penalty. That was when we realized your broom was just floating there and you weren't on it," replied Sirius.

"Are _you _all right? I landed on you didn't I?" James asked Lily.

She nodded, "I was lucky not to hit the bench behind me. You cracked a rib and suffered a concussion, though."

"I feel fine."

"Madam Pomfrey fixed you up but she says you have to stay the night," said Mary.

Alice stood up. "I have to go. I should tell Frank you're okay." Alison joined her and they left. Remus, Sirius and Peter stayed a little longer but they too left with Mary after assuring James they;d be back before dinner to check on him.

Lily just sat there.

"Don't look so scared Lily, I'm okay," said James, taking her hand.

"I was so worried! You cracked a rib!" She placed her other hand over his heart. "What if you'd cracked a rib over your heart and it went straight through? You could have died!"

"Aren't you being a little melodramatic?"

"This is not a joke James."

"So you'd miss me if I'd died?" he asked, smirking.

She punched him. "Of course I would, you dolt!"

He sighed, "Hey don't worry about it. There are probably a hundred things that could have happened, but didn't. I've been in pain enough times between Quidditch practice and your old jinxes."

Lily smiled grudgingly, "I hit you with some pretty hard hexes and spells didn't I?"

"Your words hurt me more," James declared.

"_Now_ who's being melodramatic?" she said, grinning.

"But you had me under a spell all right."

Lily blushed. "You should ave been paying attention to the game," she said, trying to change the subject, noting the intense look in his eyes.

"I was a little distracted," James admitted.

"By Stewart's commentary? He was being obnoxious. When I get my hands on him-" She stopped abruptly, interrupted by James placing a finger over her lips.

"I wasn't listening to him," he said, his voice low.

He was so close to her now. Lily could smell the irresistible scent of oranges flooding through her nose again and leaned towards him too.

"I was distracted by a very pretty girl cheering for me. In fact she's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen," he said, his hand holding hers tightly. His hazel eyes were fixed on hers, full of passion and love for her. He moved his hand from her lips to her cheek, stroking it softly with his knuckles.

"No matter how much I try, I can't get her out of my mind," he said. Lily was having trouble breathing. She still had one hand over his heart and she could feel his heart beating fast. She was well aware that hers was going at the same rate. He leaned in even closer, his breath warm on her face. She couldn't pull away. She didn't want to pull away.

"But you know what?" he whispered. "I don't _want_ to get her out of my mind."

Madam Pomfrey bustled in. "Ah, you're awake, Mr. Potter. Good. You'll need to take this medicine," she called from the end of the wing.

The curtains were still blocking Lily and James from view, but he sighed, closed his eyes and fell back against the pillows, disappointment written all over his face. He opened his eyes to find Lily frozen to the spot, but her face was slightly disappointed too. A series of conflicted emotions passed across her face. She gathered herself, squeezed his hand and quickly kissed him on the forehead. "Don't try anything stupid in here okay? I want to see you at breakfast tomorrow," she said quickly, but tenderly.

"Ah Miss Evans. Leaving for dinner?" said Madam Pomfrey, pulling back the curtains.

"Yes ma'am. Will he be okay?" said Lily.

"His ribs should be fine. His concussion's almost gone too," said Madam Pomfrey.

"I wouldn't worry about his head, he'd already lost it anyway," said Lily, grinning. James pulled a face. "But he's got a good heart, take care of it," she said softly. She left quickly, smiling at the incredulous delight on James' face. She barely noticed Peter outside the doors as she went to have dinner.

Peter stared sadly at the Hospital wing doors after Lily left.

"You wish _you_ were lying in that bed, don't you?" asked a smooth voice.

He jumped and turned around to find Snape leaning against the opposite wall. "What do you want? I'm not afraid of you," he squeaked.

"I don't want anything. I just came to sympathise with you," said Snape.

"What do you mean?"

"I know what it feels like to want Lily Evans and not have her reciprocate your feelings. I know what it's like to stand on the sidelines and watch as Potter steals her away."

"James is my friend!"

"No doubt about that. But why should he get what he wants all the time? And do you really believe Lily will still choose you over him? She didn't even glance at you as she left just now. She wasn't there at _your_ bedside when you had food poisoning last week. Come on Peter, why should you bother with her when she doesn't care about you?"

"I - don't know..."

"You should teach her a lesson. You should teach them all a lesson. They only put up with you because they have to," said Snape.

"They're all my friends!" repeated Peter.

"Friends who don't care about you?"

"Stop it, Snape. They care about me, I know they do. And I care about them!" snapped Peter. He pushed past Snape and walked away. But, at the end of the corridor, he turned back, just for a moment, and Snape noted with triumph, the hint of doubt that gleamed in Peter's eyes.

**"How dare you!" Al burst out. "You ruined their lives! _You_ killed my grandparents!" He glared darkly at Snape. **

**Snape nodded, looking regretful, "At the time, I believed every word I said to Pettigrew. But I only regret the loss of Lily. You may idolise your grandfather, but I cared nothing for him."**

**Al looked ready to attack him. Once again, James held him back. "People change, Al. No matter what he's done, Snape helped dad and he risked his life for it. You can't ignore that."**

**Al still looked mutinous. McGonagall intervened.**

**"Why don't you two go get some lunch and calm down?" she said. She pushed them out of her office.**

**"The younger one's a lot more like James Potter," Snape sneered.**

**McGonagall suddenly glared at him, looking protective, "Bear in mind, Severus, you may be nice now; but back then, if Lily had heard what you'd said to Peter, she'd be as mad as her grandson."**

* * *

_Sorry about the crappy starting... especially the part about Sirius and Alison getting together...I was in a bit of a hurry when I typed this and I didn't have a spell check either, so sorry about any grammar or spelling mistakes..._

_There's only about 5 chapters left now that Lily's finally realising she's falling in love with James..._

_Please review! At least 5 reviews again? :)_**  
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	29. Chapter 28

_Thank you all for the amazing reviews for the last chapter! I liked that chapter and I'm glad so many of you liked it too! Thanks to everyone who read/ favourited and put this story on alerts too!_

_I'm not really happy with this chapter...I was a little distracted when I wrote it...it's a little serious but I did put in everything non James/Lily that I had wanted to in this, so I'm happy with that at least..._

_Disclaimer : I don't own HP_

_Please review!_

* * *

"**Hi James!" said Rosalie brightly, sitting down beside him. "Hey Al. Why the murderous face?"**

**Albus muttered some indistinguishable words.**

"**Ignore him. He's just a little upset with something McGonagall told us," said James.**

"**Well he really should be open to the advice she gives him. It's for his own good," said Rosalie.**

**James stared at her till he remembered that they'd told her they were getting counseled. He had no idea why she was bringing it up when she had clearly not believed a word of their cover story. He shrugged it off, "Er, yeah."**

"**Um…there was a new notice up today," Rosalie started, sounding a little nervous.**

**James remembered seeing the notice on his way down to lunch. "Yeah, there's a Hogsmeade trip for everyone staying in the castle isn't there?" It's on the day after Christmas."**

"**Yeah," said Rosalie. She was hesitating, clearly plucking up the courage to say what was on her mind. A grin was spreading across Al's face as he realized what was going on. **

**James looked confused at first and then, it clicked. "So Rosalie," he said with a smirk that reminded Al of their grandfather. "Do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me?" **

"**If you keep smirking like that, I'll say no," warned Rosalie.**

**James just grinned, "Well you should know what you're getting into. So is that a yes?"**

"**Yes," she said, turning the same colour as her hair.**

**James looked absolutely delighted. "Thank you," he said softly, "for being willing to try this."**

"**Thank **_**you**_** for being so persistent," she said, still blushing.**

"**So does this mean you're my girlfriend now?"**

"**Don't push your luck Potter."**

"**Sorry," said James, "force of habit." He and Al stood up. "See you in the evening, then."**

"**It's a date," said Rosalie with a smirk.**

**The boys walked out of the Hall and when they were out of earshot, James let out a loud whoop, jumping into the air. "I'm going on a date! With Rosalie!" he shouted. Albus grinned at his brother's enthusiasm. Some of the portraits in the corridor applauded, being familiar with the students' history. James took a bow and was still grinning when he entered McGonagall's office.**

"**Either you were just hit by a cheering charm or someone froze that grin on your face," said Snap.**

"**Neither. I just asked Rosalie on a date and she said yes!" said James. He spun on one foot and collapsed into a chair with a contented sigh.**

**Albus shook his head at the theatrics but McGonagall laughed, "You really are **_**just**_**like my godson," she said.**

**Dumbledore was beaming too, "It's always wonderful to see young love."**

**Snape looked nervously at Al who was determinedly avoiding his gaze. "Er, Albus," started Snape, surprising everyone. "Look, I'm sorry. I know I'm the reason your grandparents died. There's no excuse for what I did but I can surely tell you that if I had known what would happen back then, I would not have done it. Lily meant too much to me and…" he hesitated, as though the words were causing him pain, "I hate to admit this but Lily loved your grandfather and though I hated him, he made Lily happy and I admire him for that." He grimaced, "That was hard to say."**

**Albus looked at him and Snape suddenly realized that Albus also had Lily's kind eyes. "I forgive you," said Al. "I understand that love can be as dangerous as it is beautiful. And if my dad says you're the bravest man he ever knew, then, that's enough for me."**

**Snape's eyes looked a little teary at that. "Can we move on to the story? It's a little too emotional in here," said James, running the moment.**

**McGonagall rolled her eyes, "You really live up to your middle name too."**

James was let out of the hospital wing the next morning. He was a little late for breakfast. When he entered the Hall, he noticed that there was a considerable decrease in the volume of the students' voices that morning. He sat down beside Sirius and noted that everyone was looking rather grave.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Voldemort," said Lily. She was shaking with anger.

Remus was beside her, his arm around Mary. Sirius was holding Alison's hand. Even Alice kept glancing and Frank. Peter looked extremely nervous, even more than usual.

"What happened?" James asked again.

"When the owls came this morning, Dumbledore received a list from the Ministry. It was a list of families that have been attacked and whose students are children here," said Remus tiredly, "He was supposed to break the news tactfully to the kids."

"But Voldemort being the vile, evil, twisted snake that he is, sent Howlers sealed with a Dark Mark to each of those students himself," said Lily bitterly.

James' eyes hardened. He looked around the Hall. Five seats were empty – none of them belonged to the Slytherin table. Dumbledore and some other teachers were missing from the staff table, no doubt doing what they could for the poor students. James felt angry. He wanted to rip Voldemort's head off and he could see similar emotions in many faces.

After a quick and quiet breakfast, he and Lily headed to their tower since they had a free period that morning. Sirius and Mary didn't join them, both needing to complete some homework. James and Lily sat on their sofa, neither of them in any mood to work.

"It was horrible," Lily said quietly. "To be told your family's dead or hurt or kidnapped is hard enough as it is but to hear it from the lunatic committing the atrocities is a thousand times worse," she said, sounding close to tears.

James put an arm around her. "We'll fight him Lily. We'll make sure he doesn't get away with any of this."

"I kept thinking about my own family. Petunia wanted to get married soon."

"I'm sure they're fine. Dad would have told us if anything had happened. Your sister should be able to come out of hiding soon. I doubt they'll still try to target your family. You're of age now, you're the easier target. You can't use school for protection any longer," said James.

"There was a little first year girl among those who received those letters this morning. It's barely been over a month since she _found out _about magic and today she got that horrible letter saying her parents are dead. How is she ever going to want to do magic anymore? She's never going to get Voldemort's cruel voice out of her head now. She's never going to have a normal childhood," said Lily, crying.

James pulled her closer into his shoulder, ignoring the tears soaking his robes."I'm scared Lily," he admitted. "I'm scared that, one day, I or someone I love will receive that letter. I'm scared that my parents will receive that letter. But more than that, I'm angry that people are getting such letters at all. I want to fight. I want to make sure that my children will never have to live with the same fears."

"I'm scared too," said Lily. "I'm scared that I'll be alone. Alison, Mary and Alice all have a shoulder to cry on. They don't need me so much anymore. I'll always be their best friend but they have a special person in their lives. I'm afraid that when I need it the most, I won't have any company, I'll be alone."

"You're never alone. You're crying on my shoulder right now, aren't you?" said James.

Lily chuckled weakly. James tilted her chin up with one finger. "I'll never leave you alone, Lily Evans. I promise you that." He kissed her forehead. "Come on, we have to get to class soon."

Lily drew back, still looking at him as he got up and picked up his books. "James?" she said, "Why are you always ready to protect me and take care of me no matter what?" she asked.

He paused, but the bell rang at that moment. "I'll tell you later," he said, quickly walking out. As he made his way down to the classroom, he wished he could give Lily a different answer from the one he had in mind. He didn't know how she would react to it. He didn't know if she was ready to hear it. He knew that she was attracted to him and that she considered him to be one of her closest friends but he didn't want to scare her. He wanted _her_ to be sure of how she felt because he knew he couldn't bare his soul to her and have her reject it. He wouldn't be able to live through it. He could see in her eyes that she was now open to the idea of a relationship but he hadn't seen yet that she felt as strongly about him as he did about her.

Lily was having similar thoughts. She wasn't sure she was ready to hear the answer to the question she'd asked. She definitely liked him now, she was even sure she had a crush on him. But, she suspected that her feelings might run deeper too. She hoped that his answer would help her figure out exactly how she felt about him.

Classes passed in a blur. The whole school – students, teachers, ghosts – was in shock and sorrow. Everyone looked subdued. James spotted the first year girl Lily had talked about and was extremely saddened to see such grief in such a young face. He wanted to do something, anything, to undermine Voldemort's hold on the world. He wanted to make everyone smile again.

That evening, just after dessert, the lights in the Great Hall went out suddenly. Everyone looked afraid when a giant Dark Mark lit up the enchanted ceiling. Then, the Mark was destroyed by a giant sparkling phoenix made out of fireworks. A beautiful pyrotechnic display lit the ceiling. The students gazed in awe and were soon smiling at the scenes being depicted.

Each scene showed a comical defeat of Voldemort. There was a bewildered snake tied up in knots. There was Voldemort hit with a hair growth spell that made hair grow past his eyes and make him accidentally hit himself with the killing curse. There was Voldemort being attacked by a giant nose. The fireworks had everyone laughing. The lights came on after a good half hour and the Marauders were standing in front of the staff table. They bowed as everyone burst into applause.

James spoke, noting with pride that even the five student victims looked a little bit more cheerful. "There are dark and difficult times," he said, "But just like destroying a Boggart, the way to overcome these difficulties is to laugh. Hope and happiness are necessary to triumph over evil and sorrow."

Dumbledore stood up. "To keep up our spirits, every Saturday night, we will have a puppet show or other such activities all based on Muggle and magic fairy tales. Never believe that real life does not have happy endings. When you lose hope, when you forget how to smile and be brave; that is the day Voldemort defeats us all."

"Well done," said Lily, looking at the Marauders later, "you've really grown up." Even Sirius felt proud at that. She pulled James aside. "I really enjoyed that. It reminded me why I should keep fighting. Thank you. Dumbledore really did pick an excellent Head Boy." She kissed him on the cheek and ran off to her friends.

James was grinning even an hour later when he went back to the tower.

**X-X-X**

On his way back to Gryffindor tower, Peter stopped at a bathroom. When he came out, Snape was standing down the corridor.

"Hello Peter," said Snape.

"Go away," stuttered Peter.

"I see you've been thinking about what I said last time," Snape said.

"No I haven't!"

"You knew there's a shortcut behind that tapestry. If you didn't care about what I said or what I have to say, you would have taken that route back right now," Snape replied.

"I love my friends and I'm sure they feel the same way about me!" said Peter.

"I don't doubt that. But don't you think they'd love you more if you were just a little braver and stronger? Even today, everyone was staring at Potter, Lupin and Black. Don't you want to be the one who's admired? Don't you want to be powerful?" Snape said smoothly.

"I…Sirius _did_ say he wishes I were a little smarter and braver sometimes…"

"You see? You could change that if you join us. You could learn far more powerful spells. You could show everyone just how strong you are. You could prove to everyone that you _are_ talented enough to belong in Gryffindor." Snape could see the longing, the desire in Peter's eyes now.

"You don't want to receive a letter like those in the morning do you? The Dark Lord can teach you so much and he can protect you and your family and your friends. He could teach you to be Peter Pettigrew and not the pitied fourth Marauder. All you need to do is tell him some things in return, things that only you can find out. He knows all about your impressive persuasive skills," Snape whispered, his voice entrancing Peter, making him feel wanted and important – all the things he'd wanted to be.

"I – I need time to think about it," stammered Peter.

Snape smiled, satisfied, "Of course. You know where to find me. Think about it. You have the chance to take care of your friends and not the other way around. Take your time." He swept away, leaving a confused Peter behind.

"**Did you have to start with this part, Professor? I was feeling happy about Rosalie and now I feel terrible," complained James.**

"**I put in a Lily-James part there, didn't I? It's not my fault this was how things happened. There was a war going on, there was no escaping that," said McGonagall.**

"**They should just tell each other how they feel," said Albus.**

"**Hey it's not easy telling someone you like them, you know," said James.**

"**It can't be that hard," said Al.**

**McGonagall stopped the argument, "Do you want to know what happens next or not?"**

"**Yes!" the boys said.**

"-and when mum found us both in the apple tree, she yelled herself hoarse!" laughed James. "And an apple fell right into her mouth!"

Lily wiped away tears of laughter. James was telling her some childhood stories to make patrols less dreary.

"Dad jumped down, went on one knee," said James, "he took her hand and said, 'Love, you look wonderful with that apple.'" They both laughed. "For some reason, mum wasn't impressed."

"I can't imagine why," said Lily, rolling her eyes.

"Ah come on Lily, wouldn't you have forgiven your husband and son if they were as dashing as I am?" he said, flashing her a grin.

"Only if they begged."

He laughed, "You'll keep your husband on his toes for sure."

"I'd better find someone as athletic as you then," she said, not really thinking.

James grinned, "Comparing your future husband to me? I'm touched."

She pushed him (secretly admiring the way his arm felt so strong and hard under her hand), "Don't get a big head." She looked up at him laughing; his hair fell onto his forehead adorably. His eyes lit up so well behind his glasses and his lips had a beautiful curve to them when he laughed.

He looked at her, catching her staring at him, "Something wrong?" he asked, smiling slightly.

She blushed and looked away, shaking her head. He linked his fingers through hers, both of them marveling at the way their hands fit together so well. He ran the other hand through his hair.

"Er…I know I've asked you this a hundred times before, Lily…but do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me next weekend? It doesn't have to be a date! The other guys are going with their girlfriends who are all your friends so I just thought we could spend the day together. As friends," he said.

"441."

"What?"

"You've asked me to Hogsmeade 441 times," said Lily.

"You've counted each time?"

"Alice and Mary had a bet going on. Alice believed that I'd say yes the 500th time and Mary believed I'd say it after 445."

He stopped and looked at her. "Are they right?"

"No."

He looked away, "Oh. That's okay. I should've known you'd never say it. I just-"

"I'm saying yes right now, the 442nd time."

James' eyes lit up again, "Really?"

"Yeah. I'd love to spend the day with you. As friends."

James beamed. "I'm so happy even if it's not a date! I could kiss you right now!"

Lily took a step closer. "Well, why don't you?"

He bent down, close enough to almost touch her lips with his. He closed his eyes, breathing in her scent of roses. "Because you wouldn't like it," he said softly, his breath tickling her. He drew back, eyes full of longing and amusement at her red face. He ran down the corridor, "Race you to the tower!"

If he had waited a minute more, he would have heard her mutter, "I _would _like it."

Lily walked back to their tower, a little disgruntled to find James on the sofa, smiling like a Cheshire cat. "What took you so long?"

She glared at him. He patted the sofa. "Come here."

She walked over grudgingly."What?"

"I never gave you a birthday present, so I'm giving you one now," he said, producing a neatly wrapped box. Curious, Lily opened it to find a gold watch with planets and stars running along the edges. Her name was engraved on the back and a lily on the front.

"It's traditional to give a witch or wizard a watch when they come of age. I didn't think your friends knew about the custom since they weren't seventeen at the time. It kind of makes you a fully qualified witch," he said.

Lily flung her arms around his neck and hugged him. "Thank you! It's beautiful!"

She followed him up the stairs to her own room. She stopped outside her room, on hand on the doorknob fingering the chain of her new watch as he opened his door. "James," she said. "Will you answer me now? Will you tell me why you protect me?"

He smiled slightly, half inside his room already, "Because I love you."

"**He…he just told her?" asked Albus, stunned.**

"**Don't interrupt Al! What happened next?" asked James eagerly.**

**Both of them protested loudly when McGonagall threw them out of her office saying it was too late and she would continue only the next day.**

* * *

_Please let me know what you thought and leave me a review! I do accept constructive criticism so anything you'd like me to improve, please let me know..._

_Help me hit 250 reviews :)_**  
**


	30. Chapter 29

_A big, big, extra large thank you to all my reviewers! It was my birthday on Monday and it was one of the best presents I could get to wake up and see all those reviews! Thank you! And a huge thank you to everyone who read/ favourited/ put the story on alert too!_

_Disclaimer : I don't own HP.**  
**_

_**In the last chapter : James Sirius Potter asked Rosalie out to Hogsmeade with success. Voldemort was evil as usual. Peter came closer to going over to the Dark Side. James asked Lily to Hogsmeade too and told her he loves her.**_

* * *

**McGonagall entered her office the next morning to find the Potter boys already there with stacks of toast. She raised an amused eyebrow, "If only you showed this much interest in my classes."**

**The boys gave her identical, sheepish grins.**

**She shook her head, "Well since you're up here so early, I guess I have no choice but to continue with the story."**

Lily stared at James in shock. Had he just said he loved her? Her heart was going so fast, she thought it might just jump out of her chest. And yet, she felt inexplicably _happy_. But, being the idiot that she was (as Alice described her later when she told her friends about the incident), she ruined the moment.

"Oh...er…as a friend, you mean, right?" she said and immediately wished she could bang her head against the wall. James just shook his head, that small smile still on his lips though there was no humour in it and walked into his room. Lily caught sight of his eyes – they were full of both longing and disappointment – just before he shut his door.

The next morning, Lily successfully avoided James until lunch time. He caught her on the stairs leading to the Great Hall.

"Excuse me a moment," he told his friends and strode off to catch Lily. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her behind a tapestry and into a deserted corridor.

"James! Listen, I'm really hungry, so –" Lily started but he gave her a look that silenced her immediately. She moved toward the tapestry hoping to escape but James had excellent Quidditch reflexes. He seized her wrist again and pushed her against the wall, pinning both wrists to the stone.

"I just want to talk, Lily. This is the only way you'll stop avoiding me."

Lily felt the heat rising to her cheeks and her breathing became shallow as she noticed their position. She looked into his eyes and immediately wished she hadn't – they were kind and soft and full of a deep emotion that she could connect only to his words from the previous night.

He stepped back and ran a hand through his hair. "Listen Lily, I won't take back what I said yesterday. But, I do enjoy spending time with you and making you laugh and just _being_ around you. If what I said makes things so awkward that you don't want to be around me at all, please just interpret it in any way that makes you feel comfortable."

"_As if there is any other way to interpret it," _Lily thought.

James closed his eyes but there was a slightly desperate sadness on his face. "You mean a lot to me and I don't want to lose you as a friend. Yell at me, hex me, hit me, do whatever you want, react in any way you want to what I said," he opened his eyes and fixed his gaze on hers, "but _please_, don't avoid me. Don't ignore me. It hurts more than anything else."

Lily blinked hard. She was surprised to find tears coming to her eyes at the sadness, longing and _honesty_ in James' voice. She realized that it was hurting her to see him in so much pain; pain that _she _was causing.

"I don't want to hurt you James. It's just that I don't know how to react. I don't know how I –"

"Don't say it, Evans," said Sirius, walking towards them from the other end of the corridor. He stood in front of James rather protectively. "Don't say that you don't know how you feel. I don't want you to give James hope that you might feel like you like him and then let him down. Please, just forget or ignore what he said and be his friend again. Only if you _really_ feel there's something more to your friendship, make your move. But don't say you'll think about it and convince yourself of something you don't really feel." Sirius' voice was kind, but firm.

Lily nodded and smiled brightly, pretending all the drama had never happened, "So, I'll see you at lunch." She disappeared through the tapestry.

James looked at Sirius, "What if she really does fancy me? I didn't just tell her I love her without some assurance that she might feel the same way."

"If she does, then she'll let you know. She'll continue to flirt with you or something. But she won't do it if she realizes she's only physically attracted to you. Lily's too nice to take advantage of someone like that."

"Let's hope for the best, then?"

"Let's hope for the best."

"**Why didn't Sirius want Lily to think about how she felt?" Albus asked, looking confused.**

"**He was afraid that after she'd heard what James said, she would try too hard not to hurt James and so, she might convince herself that what she felt for him was love. If she did that, she would one day let him down and that would hurt James more than anything else, to find out that she was only being kind to him. Sirius knew that she wouldn't be able to not think about it if she really did like James. That's why he told her to think about it only if she **_**wanted **_**to, not because she **_**had**_** to. She shouldn't let her feelings become influenced by James'," answered Dumbledore.**

"**When did Sirius become so thoughtful?" asked Al.**

**Snape grinned, "I asked the same thing when I heard of this."**

"**When it came to James' happiness, Sirius would do anything," said McGonagall, her eyes misty with memories. "Let's move on."**

Lily and James went back to acting normal. They talked, laughed and shared witty banter like always. But soon, there came a night – a night which set Lily thinking hard about her feelings; a Friday night in the third week of October.

"**For Merlin's sake, Potter, get your mind out of the gutter," McGonagall said, interrupting herself and glaring at James who had a very suggestive grin on his face.**

"**Well you're the one talking about important **_**nights**_**!" the boy said, still grinning. **

**McGonagall gave him another disgusted look and continued.**

Lily sat at her table in their tower, finishing her homework. James wasn't back from the library where she'd seen him last. No doubt he would have sneaked down to the kitchens for a snack before bed.

Movement on the deserted grounds caught her eye. She looked out of her window to see Remus and Madam Pomfrey hurrying to the Whomping Willow. She said a silent prayer, hoping that Remus wouldn't hurt himself too badly. She watched Madam Pomfrey hurry back. The moon was rising now, a large white orb in the east. Lily picked up her books and turned away from the window to put them back into her bag.

She missed seeing two figures, a shaggy black dog and a short, plump boy sprint across the grounds.

She straightened up and stretched. James would be back when he wanted to. She fancied an early night. Quick movement caught her eye again. She looked out, frowning. Her frown was quickly replaced by a look of horror when she recognized the untidy black hair and glasses of the boy running over to the Whomping Willow.

"He's mad," she muttered, picking up her wand and heading for the door.

The castle was quiet as she ran to the front doors, her heart humping wildly against her ribs. She ran out to the Willow. All the lights on this side of the castle were out but the full moon illuminated the grounds brightly. She was almost at the flailing tree when a low growl sounded _behind_ her.

She spun around to find a werewolf, teeth bared and growling at her. She backed away, fully aware that Remus could not recognize her as anything more than prey in his current state. She moved slowly, clutching her wand, careful not to make any sudden movements.

CRACK – she stepped on a twig. The werewolf launched itself at her with a howl.

"Lumos maxima!" Lily yelled, stumbling backwards. The bright light caught the werewolf in the eyes and it howled in pain, its predator's eyes unaccustomed to such brightness. Lily ran towards the Willow, hoping to use the branches for cover.

She tripped over a stone and hit the ground. The beast's snarling was much closer. She struggled to find her feet and her wand which she'd dropped when she fell. Suddenly a loud bark pierced the night and a huge dog tackled the werewolf. A rat scuttled over to her on tow legs, its front paws holding her wand. She took it amazed, and looked up to see the dog leading Remus towards the forest.

"Lily!"

She turned, never happier to hear James' voice. "James! How did Remus – what's going on?" she asked.

"No time to explain! Get on," he panted and turned into a giant stag. Lily's eyes widened in shock. The stag pawed the ground impatiently. She got on to its back and held on tightly as it galloped back up to the castle. She slid off at the front doors as it turned back into James.

She opened her mouth but James spoke first. "Go back to the tower Lily. I'll explain everything in the morning. Don't argue, just go."

"But you have to come too! You can't stay out here," she protested.

"I must stay here Lily. Don't argue. Just go back." His voice held authority that she was unused to hearing. She ran back in, trying to make sense of the events. It was only ten in the night and she ran into the Prefects doing that night's patrols.

"Evans? What are you doing out so late? You look odd," one of them said.

"Oh I was just heading back. I just walked through a ghost on the way, that's all," she invented with a hasty smile. She ran back to her room and looked out the window. The grounds were empty and silent.

She ran up to James' room, hoping that she would find him asleep there, that this was all a nightmare and she would wake up. His bed was empty. She walked back down the stairs, her face white to the lips. A howl sounded in the distance. On any other day, she would have passed it off as just another creature in the Forest, but now…

She dragged an armchair to the window and sank into it, huge, unblinking green eyes fixed on the view outside the window.

X-X-X

Lily didn't sleep that night. Anxiety overcame exhaustion as she watched, hoping, _praying_, that James was alright; that Remus hadn't bitten him, or worse. She jumped at every howl, her heart beating fast. She was sure she heard barking once or twice too.

"_They're Animagi,"_ she thought, _"That's what their nicknames are all about,"_ she realized. Images of James' mangled and bloody body formed themselves in her imagination.

The new cabinet in the opposite corner rattled suddenly, shaking her out of gruesome thoughts. She remembered complaining to the DADA teacher that a Boggart had lodged there that morning. She also remembered that she'd been given permission to get rid of it herself and she'd completely forgotten about it. She tore her eyes away from the window and faced the shaking cabinet, deciding that she needed a little distraction.

"Alohomora," she whispered. The cabinet burst open and she waited for the horde of rats to come flooding out as it always did when she faced a Boggart.

Instead, a person climbed out. Her breath caught in her throat as James Potter climbed out of the cabinet, looked at her and walked away.

"No. Riddikulus!" she said, shakily.

He – the _Boggart_, she reminded herself – kept walking away.

"No. No! Riddikulus!"

The figure turned, eyes blank, no familiar mischievous smirk on the face and fell over. James – _the Boggart_ – was dead.

"Riddikulus. RIDDKULUS!" Lily yelled, summoning her happiest memory – herself and James surrounded by all their friends were laughing at an old joke.

The boggart changed into a clown with a loud crack. Lily waved her wand again and it disappeared. She sank shakily into her armchair, tired and shocked and scared. She was trying to understand why her Boggart would turn into James. The moon was touching the horizon now. The sky was brightening in the east. Three boys limped across the grounds.

Lily's heart leapt with relief and a little worry as she watched them. One of the boys pulled something from his pocket and they all disappeared suddenly. Lily waited, holding her breath. Finally, _finally_, the door of their tower swung open and closed and James pulled off the Invisibility Cloak, looking exhausted.

He barely had time to register Lily's presence when she tackled him in a hug.

"You're safe! Thank Merlin, you're safe!" she said, tightening her arms around his neck and burying her head in his robes.

"Lily? Why are you awake so early?" James asked, thoroughly surprised and confused.

"I couldn't sleep! I was out of my mind with worry. What if you'd been bitten? What if you'd _died_?" she was sobbing into his chest now.

James looked stunned for a moment and then his eyes softened. He wrapped his arms around her, stroking her head tenderly. "Hey don't cry. It's alright now. I'm safe, we're all safe. Nothing's happened," he murmured gently, resting his chin on her head. Lily sniffed, sobs quieting down as he stroked her hair and whispered comfortingly into her ear. "It's okay. We've been doing this for a couple of years now. We're used to it," he said quietly.

Lily drew back and looked at him. "A couple of years? A COUPLE OF YEARS?" She punched him on the arm angrily.

"Ow! You hit hard!" James complained.

"How many Bludgers to the head _have _you taken Potter? You've been running around with a werewolf for TWO FREAKING YEARS?" Lily screamed. She hit him again.

"Ouch! Keep your voice down!" James hissed.

"Have you all lost your marbles? And you lot are Animagi too. I bet you haven't registered legally either!" she said.

James sighed. He led her over to the sofa and made her sit down. He sat down too, wincing slightly. "We do it for Remus, Lily. We can keep him company as animals. It helps him through the night."

Lily's expression softened slightly. "What if someone sees you?"

"We're very careful. Usually we wait a couple of hours before following Remus and we're always diligent enough to stay away from his teeth."

"What's that then?" Lily asked, pointing at a long bloody scratch on his left forearm.

"Oh that was just his claws."

Lily whacked him on the shoulder. "_Just_ his claws?"

"Ow! Merlin, I'm in enough pain here already," he protested.

He pushed his right sleeve up to reveal a bruised arm, all the way from the elbow to shoulder. Lily pulled out her wand.

James eyed it warily, "Er…Lily?"

"I can fix those. Stay still," she commanded. She held his arm in one hand and muttered healing spells. In a couple of minutes, the purple blotches had faded, leaving James' (_"tanned and muscular," _Lily couldn't help thinking) arm free of bruises.

He examined it. "Thanks. You should help Sirius tomorrow too. I'll need to clean up this cut before I can heal it though," he said.

Lily nodded and let go of his arm, but he grabbed her hand and moved close to her. "So," he breathed, "you were worried about me."

"Of course I was! Didn't I already tell you once I'd be upset if you died?" she said, blushing.

"Says the girl who used to issue daily death threats."

"Oh shut up."

He grinned and pulled her into a hug suddenly, letting her warmth wash over him, amazed at how well she fit into his arms, unlike any of his other girlfriends. "Go get some sleep," he said softly, releasing a very red redhead.

He followed her up the stairs. "Oh and Lily, don't mention anything to Remus, okay? He would beat himself up over it. He usually doesn't remember the first and last couple of hours of his transformation," said James.

Lily nodded. She opened her door. "One last thing," said James, his eyes twinkling merrily. "Don't sleep in too late. You need to get a good night's sleep later tonight."

"Why? It's Sunday tomorrow."

"Why Evans! Have you forgotten it's Hogsmeade weekend? We have a date tomorrow!" James was grinning broadly.

"It's not a date!" Lily said, but she was smiling slightly too. She closed her door but not fast enough to escape a very soft whisper of "I love you, Lily."

X-X-X

Lily went to the Hospital Wing just after lunch that day to find all the Marauders and Mary around Remus' bed.

"How are you feeling?" she asked the boy.

"A little achy, but no worse than usual," he said smiling.

She was relieved to see he didn't remember attacking her. She knew how hard he would have taken it. "I want to talk to you," she said.

"Go ahead," said Remus, merrily.

Lily looked pointedly at the others.

"What sort of private matters do you have to discuss with Remus, Lily?" Sirius asked, grinning.

"Private matters. Clear out, you lot. You've been here since morning," she replied.

"But Moony wants us to stay, don't you Moony?" said Sirius.

"You heard the lady, Sirius. Clear out."

"Are you sure you don't want us to stay, Remus? You might need protection from Lily's occasional psychotic behaviour," grinned James.

Lily glared.

"Clearing out now," James said hastily, dragging Peter and Sirius with him.

Mary shook her head. "Kicking the patient's girlfriend out to discuss private matters seems a very suspicious thing to do, Lily."

"Don't worry, I don't date members of the dog family," said Lily.

"Only members of the deer family, eh?" muttered Remus.

Lily glared at him as Mary left.

"That's what you want to talk about, yes? James told us he told you all about Animagi yesterday," said Remus.

Lil sighed and sank into a chair. "I keep thinking about him. His hair, his eyes, his face, his silly little quirks and the way he smiles. I sat up all last night to make sure he was safe. My Patronus is the female counterpart of his. I blush like crazy when we touch. I almost kissed him and found myself _wanting_ to kiss him so many times now. I hugged him and confided in him. Mortal enemies just can't become so _close_, can they? What's happening?"

"Did your friends have an explanation for your allegedly odd behaviour?"

"They told me I was falling in love."

"You want a second opinion."

"Yes."

"I'm afraid I agree with them."

"But it can't be, Remus."

Remus fixed her with a firm gaze. "Do you think about him often because you _want_ to?"

"Yes."

"I think about Mary like that. I think about her every minute of the day. When she's around, everything seems so much more clearer and fun and beautiful. When she's around, I keep thinking of what I can do to make her happier. When she's out of my sight, I worry about her irrationally and I'm known to be rational. I keep wanting to impress her and protect her and keep her smiling always. I get jealous when I see her with another boy even if I know I don't need to be. Everyone has different ideas of what love is, but in the end, it all comes down to whether you just _know _and _feel_ that a person is …special…in a way that is exclusive to you. Do you feel that way about James?"

Lily hesitated. "I don't…know."

"Just think with your heart, Lily. Don't be afraid of anyone else's reaction, not even James' Just try to _know_ how you feel. Don't try to_understand_ it," said Remus.

Lily nodded. She left, a small part of her understanding what Remus had been trying to say. A larger part of her was even more confused than before. But both parts were pushed aside by a much more pressing thought.

"_I'm going on a date with James tomorrow. What am I going to _wear_?"_

**Al's stomach growled.**

**McGonagall smiled, "I take it you need a lunch break?" **

**Al blushed and nodded.**

"**Alright then. I'll tell you about their date after lunch."**

**Maybe you should take notes, James," Albus teased.**

**James snorted as he and Al walked out, "I'm a professional."**

* * *

_Sorry about the rather angst-filled chapter...I just needed to get Lily to really think about how she felt because it didn't seem real to just have __her suddenly fall in love with a guy she hated for so long... I promise the next chapter will be fun!_

_Please, please review and let me know what you thought even if you found the chapter boring...It's the first time I'm trying to write about something angsty so advice is welcome!_

_At least five reviews again? :)_**  
**


	31. Chapter 30

_Hey everyone! Once again, thanks for all your amazing reviews! And thanks to everyone who read/alerted/favourited this story too!_

_I just want to reply to a couple of reviews here..._

_**PureAwesomeness13**_: _I won't be writing James Sirius' date...that's for your imagination :)  
**soccersymmes : **I've tried to use other verbs this time, thanks for pointing it out :)_

_Once again, thanks a lot for ALL your reviews!  
_

_On to the story! Disclaimer : I don't own HP._

* * *

**After a quick lunch, James and Albus were back to hear about Hogsmeade.**

Lily woke up, distinctly nervous. "It's not a date, it's not a date," she kept repeating to herself. "It's just two friends going out together."

"_Two friends who fancy each other,"_ said a little voice in her head.

"_Shut up,"_ she told it.

She greeted James for breakfast, noting with some satisfaction that he kept running his hand through his hair more often than usual – what she had learned to be a sure sign of nervousness. For once, they sat far apart that morning.

Lily's friends had gone military. "Alright women, we need to make sure Lily doesn't embarrass herself," said Alice in a business-like tone, ignoring Lily's squawk of protest.

Mary produced a list and looked at Lily critically. "Okay, hair – check. Nose – not shiny – check. Accessories – check," she said, crossing off each point.

Lily looked offended, "I know how to dress for Hogsmeade."

"Not for a date with James, you don't," Mary shot back.

"I doubt he'd notice even if she turned up in nothing more than a wicker basket, he's already in love with her," said Alison.

"Oh, he'd notice if it were a wicker basket," sniggered Alice, waggling her eyebrows in a manner highly reminiscent of Sirius.

"Face it Lily, if it weren't for us, you'd be dressed in that hideous old sweater of yours," said Mary.

"But it's _cold_ out," Lily protested. She was now dressed in jeans and an emerald green tunic with very short sleeves after her point-blank refusal to wear a dress in autumn. Alice tossed her a matching short jacket which she pulled on gratefully.

"Okay, since we won't be around, you need to remember _not_ to be your usual klutzy self and trip over things, don't insult James or act too Head Girlish-"

"How long is this list exactly, Mary?" interrupted Lily.

"As long as it needs to be. Sit up, don't slouch, woman! This is _your_ day! It has to be perfect!" Mary snapped in military general style, scaring several passing first years.

Meanwhile, James was getting a pre-date speech too.

"Okay Prongs, remember that this is a chance of a lifetime so don't screw it. This is also _not _an actual date so don't go overboard. Don't creep her out, don't use any of Sirius' pick-up lines and _don't _pick your nose in public," said Remus.

"Hey! I don't pick my nose!" objected James.

"Sirius, don't even think about following them or trying anything stupid. Stay away," continued Remus. "Peter, you'll have to be on your own too."

"It's okay; I made some new friends from the other houses in class last week. I'm hanging out with them today since you all have dates," replied Peter with a nervous glance at the Slytherin table.

Remus looked surprised. "Oh. That's good then."

"Sirius smirked, "You sure you don't want me to give them a little help?" he asked Remus.

"No Sirius. You and Alison are _not_ to follow them and try to trap them in small, enclosed spaces, or hang enchanted mistletoe – which is out of season – or trap their feet in the ground, or –"

"Alright, alright, James is on his own today," grumbled Sirius, "But it would have been so much more fun."

"NO Padfoot!" Remus turned to James, "Just be yourself; your natural self. You should be fine," he said, looking slightly anxious. James nodded, running a hand through his hair again as everyone got up to leave for Hogsmeade.

"Hi," said Lily, reaching him.

"Hi. Shall we go?" replied James. They stepped into the Entrance Hall waiting to get cleared by Filch when a voice called.

"Mr. Potter, Miss Evans!"

They turned to find Dumbledore striding towards them. "I'm so glad to have caught you before you left. As you know, Halloween is next weekend and in light of current depressing events, I thought a ball or a party should lift some spirits. Would you mind organizing it? All the teachers and Prefects will certainly help," he said.

"We'd love to Professor!" Lily looked enthusiastically at James who nodded in agreement.

"We can pick up some decorations and stuff in Hogsmeade today," he added.

"Thank you. As I said, you will have the full support of the staff so don't hesitate to ask!" Dumbledore declared happily. "Enjoy your date!"

Both of them blushed and yelled "It's not a date!" at the Headmaster's retreating figure. He turned and waved with a small wink, his eyes twinkling madly.

Lily and James walked down to the gates in silence. Only when they reached the top of Hogsmeade's main street did James break the silence. "So, where do you want to go?" He ran his hand through his hair again.

She smiled, "You're nervous."

"What? No, I'm not!"

"Yes you are. You _always_ mess up your hair when you're nervous. You do it all the time before an important Quidditch match and exams. I've only noticed of late, it's not like I've been watching you all the time, so don't get the wrong idea. I wouldn't keep watching you; I'm not a stalker or obsessed with you or anything-"

"Lily," James interrupted, grinning, "_you_ ramble on and on when you get nervous. Just like you're doing now."

She stopped talking and then they both burst out laughing, clearing the awkwardness.

"Okay, how about we go to Tomes and Scrolls first?" Lily asked.

"Trust you to go to the bookshop first despite all the other amazing shops in Hogsmeade, Evans," said James shaking his head.

"Like you aren't a bibliophile yourself."

"Not in public."

"Okay, how about we visit Spintwitches after Tomes and Scrolls to make you happy?"

"I'm already on cloud nine," James muttered under his breath.

"What?"

"Nothing! Yeah, that would be great."

They set off down the street, attracting astonished looks from their fellow students who were staring open-mouthed at the sight of Lily and James on what seemed to be a _date._ They had only just gotten used to the two not yelling at each other all the time, but this was the unthinkable happening.

"So Lily, if we visit all the shops in Hogsmeade today, where am I going to take you if we go on a real date?" James asked, ignoring the staring.

"Madam Puddifoot's?" Lily suggested innocently, both of them acknowledging that she hadn't refused the idea of a real date.

"Have you ever set foot in there voluntarily?"

"Like you haven't'"

"Point noted," conceded James.

They entered the bookstore and James couldn't help smiling at the adorable look of childish glee on Lily's face as she flitted from shelf to shelf, discovering an interesting title that she wanted to read in each. "I'd love to buy a bookstore," she sighed, returning to James who was browsing too,

"Well I know what to get you for your next birthday then," he said. "Do you want to buy something, or shall we leave?"

"Let's go, I won't be able to read much other than school books in NEWT year anyway."

They walked out together. A cold wind was blowing and Lily shivered through the thin jacket. James instinctively put his arm around her and pulled her close. Lily didn't object as pleasant tingles ran through her body at the contact. Students stared in earnest as they made their way to Spintwitches, the sporting goods store. Lily let James marvel over all the Quidditch supplies while she herself admired and emerald and ruby gobstones set. When James didn't show any sign of leaving, she dragged him out and into Honeydukes.

"Honestly," she grumbled as she worked her way through the heap of chocolates James had bought for them, "don't people know it's rude to stare?" She glared at a bunch of fifth year girls who were whispering excitedly and sneaking glances at them. "And I've been getting evil stares from your fan club too! If looks could kill, I'd be dead at least twenty times now," Lily complained.

James just laughed. "We're celebrities today. Why don't we at least give them something to stare about?" He popped a piece of candy into her mouth. She chewed and swallowed and popped another piece into his mouth while the fifth year girls looked stunned. James picked up a third piece and slipped it into Lily's mouth, taking care to brush his fingers lightly against her lips. She gasped at the contact, turning red.

"What's the matter, Lily?" James whispered, leaning in, "Wrong flavour?"

Once again, Lily found herself rooted to the spot. Then she glanced over James' shoulder and got up immediately. "Let's go."

A puzzled James looked behind him to find his fan club looking murderous. "Good idea."

They ran out and burst into laughter as they strolled down the street again. They were nearly at Zonko's when Lily's clumsiness kicked in. She tripped. James caught her around the waist before she fell. She stumbled again at the door of Zonko's.

"Merlin Lily! You're the only one who trips over their own feet!" James said. He kept his arm around her waist (much to their delight) as he led her into the shop.

"Oh we have to buy these!" Lily exclaimed, looking at a row of carved pumpkins pulling faces and sticking their tongues out at the crowd.

"Hey, look at these. Instant costume hats!" James eagerly tried one on. With a puff of smoke, he was dressed like a Shakespearean actor. "Come, beautiful maiden, join me in a spot of unruly revelry," he said in a pompous voice, taking her hand and kissing it.

She rolled her eyes but blushed and tried on a hat herself. Her clothes changed into a long, beautiful gown.

James stared. "You looked really beautiful in that. Even more than you were till now."

Lily smiled at the compliment and tried on another hat. When the smoke cleared, James doubled up with laughter. Lily was dressed in a fluffy rabbit costume, complete with ears, whiskers and tail.

"Aw, aren't you a cute, fluffy bunny?" He smiled and hugged her tightly. "You really are soft."

Lily scowled and swept a hat onto his head, turning his clothes into a donkey costume. When they were done laughing at each other, James took off both their hats and tried to drag Lily away.

She protested loudly, "These hats are fun!"

He sighed, picked her up and put her down in another section of the shop, much to the amazement of the onlookers. They left the shop after ordering, apart from the pumpkins, a set of candles that made ghostly noises when someone passed by, spiders that chuckled and turned into confetti and other spooky-turned-funny stuff for the ball.

The sky had darkened and thunder was rumbling in the distance when they exited. They walked back up the street, holding hands. Lily had given up denying that they were on a date, instead marveling at how easy it was to hang out (or go on a date) with James. He really was the perfect gentleman, and yet he was also the most mischievous person she knew. They hadn't had a single boring or awkward moment since the beginning of the day.

"Hey, look Lily, there's that Ravenclaw you once went on a date with – Steve Robins," James interrupted her thoughts suddenly.

"Let's go down this road," begged Lily, pointing to a side road but James stayed put.

"Why? You should at least say hello."

"Look, ever since you scared him off that day, we don't speak to each other on principle. He doesn't say hello and neither do I," hissed Lily trying to pull James down the alley.

"Hi Lily!" Steve greeted her, "Having fun?"

"Oh, hi Steve! Yeah I'm good. You?" Lily said awkwardly, wishing she could wipe the smirk of James' face. Of all the times Steve could have spoken to her, it had to be right after she'd told James they didn't speak.

"I'm fine. I'm here with some friends. See you round, then. Bye Lily, Potter," he added, nodding to James as well.

"What happened to your principle?" James asked innocently, but unable to hide the smirk.

"Where's the nearest wall I can bang my head against? Talk about bad timing." Lily groaned. It started drizzling lightly.

"Why don't we go inside? It looks like it's going to pour," James said, still smiling as he held out his hand. Lily took it but as soon as they were halfway past a side road, she tripped. James wrapped his arm around her waist again.

"What did you trip over _this_ time?" he exclaimed, surprised.

"Nothing. I can't mover forward," Lily said, frowning. James tried and found he couldn't mover forward either. They turned towards the alley and realized they could walk down it. But a little way down, they couldn't move forward again,

"I can move this way," said Lily, moving towards a shop. She stopped when she realized which shop it was. "Oh no."

"No way, we can't go in _there_," groaned James, looking at the sickly pink sign of Madam Puddifoot's.

Lily struggled on the spot. "We can't move in any other direction!"

"Oh great. I'm sure someone, a.k.a Sirius and Alison, is behind this."

Sirius and Alison ducked out of sight at the mouth of the alley, laughing silently.

James sighed, "Well, I guess there's no other way." The rain was really coming down hard now and he took Lily's hand and reluctantly led her inside the little teashop.

As usual, it was packed with snogging couples. The minute James and Lily entered, everyone broke apart and stared.

"Oh, get a life!" Lily exclaimed, frustrated at all the staring.

Everyone hastily averted their gaze, aware of Lily's reputation as a short tempered hex master. She and James found a table and ordered two teas. Lily pulled out a parchment and a pen. "How about we make a list of ways to kill Sirius and Alison to pass the time?" she asked.

"I'm in!" James agreed.

Lily looked behind him and held up the parchment. "See? Blank parchment, not a love note. Now, for the love of Merlin, _will _you lot stop STARING?" she snapped.

James looked around, amused, to find a couple hastily turning away. "They probably think it's the end of the world today. Remember, that's what you'd said would happen if you ever went out with me once."

Lily looked thrown by his words. "I said that three years ago. You still remember?"

"I remember every thing about you, Lily. I remember every little detail. I remember you love maple syrup with your toast only on Thursdays. You love pink, you like cats a lot, you use only 'Blots' brand of ink; you like your quills to be pheasant feather because they're the perfect length for you; you always keep some paper and a pen in your left pocket and your handkerchief in your right and you prefer only black elastics in your hair."

Lily stared at him. She had never thought he would remember all the little quirks she'd told him about and the ones he'd noticed over the span of six years.

He ran a hand through his hair. "I didn't creep you out, did I?" he asked, nervously.

"No," said Lily. "In fact," she continued, summoning her Gryffindor courage, "you just made me feel better. I always thought I was an idiot to remember that you run your hand through your hair when you're nervous, you wear your watch on your right hand, you always sit in the first armchair on the right beside the window on the eve of a Quidditch match, you prefer dogs, you always wanted to be a Seeker, you doodle only on the left side of your parchment, you add a pinch of salt to your pumpkin juice and you always keep your wand in your left pocket."

James stared at her now. "You…you remember all the details of _my_ life?"

"As well as you remember those of mine."

He leaned closer, "Why?"

"Because I want to."

Once again, fate decided that was not the moment for a kiss. Madam Puddifoot appeared with their tea.

They sat back, flustered. "So, do you want to do the list?" asked Lily.

"Yeah, sure," James replied.

"The first one has to be boiling them in oil," Lily muttered darkly, writing it down.

"Yeah, and then subject them to a week with Filch."

"Subject them to a _month_ with Binns."

"Drop them in the path of a stampeding hippogriff."

Their list got steadily more gruesome as the rain started to cease pattering on the window panes.

"Lock them in a broom cupboard with Filch, Peeves and Moaning Myrtle," suggested Lily.

"Why Lily, I had no idea you were so evil," said James.

"Wise move, Potter, calling your date evil." She looked up and found James staring at her stunned. Only then did she realize what she'd just said.

"Date?" croaked James.

"Oh, look at the time! Let's go for a quick drink in the Three Broomsticks and head back," Lily managed to say. They left (James insisted on paying) as quickly as they could. They found all their friends at the crowded pub.

"So," said Sirius, "how's the date going?"

"We're having fun," said James as Lily nodded in agreement. Remus raised an amused eyebrow when neither of them objected to the 'date' part of Sirius' question.

"You'd better not stay long. The James Potter Fan Club isn't looking very happy," warned Alison.

"We've avoided them all day, we'll last," shrugged Lily.

"You'd better go back to the castle, here they come," Mary advised, nodding at the door, where several unhappy looking girls were standing.

James grinned at Lily, took her hand and deliberately led her towards the girls. They seemed to be preparing for a fight when James discreetly pulled his Invisibility Cloak out of his pocket and swung it over them. The girls looked confused and spread out, thinking the two Heads had disappeared into the crowd. James and Lily slipped out laughing.

"That was fun," laughed Lily, staying close to James even though he'd pulled off the Cloak. He didn't complain as he held her round the waist and they walked back up to the castle, taking their time, talking and laughing and looking for all the world like just another couple heading back after a nice, long, fun date.

James led her over to the lake and helped her into the beech tree. He put an arm around her shoulders to keep her steady on the branch as they watched the sun dip lower, painting the world orange. He looked at her, gently tucking a strand of her silky hair behind her ear, thinking how absolutely breathtaking she looked in the soft golden glow of the setting sun.

"You know why I like sunsets? They remind me of you; your lovely red hair in particular," he said softly.

Lily smiled, but stayed silent, choosing to let her eyes take in every detail of James' handsome face.

"I wish every day could be like this," he whispered.

"I enjoyed today too," she said quietly. "If it really is the end of the world today, I don't think I could've had a happier last day."

James looked touched. He didn't want to kiss her at that moment. He was content, sitting there and looking at her and having her look back at him. He felt calm and happy; he felt like he didn't need anything else; he felt…blissful.

Darkness fell upon the grounds as the last rays of sunlight faded. He climbed down and helped her down too. They went back to their tower after a quick, quiet dinner.

Lily faced James on the landing outside their bedroom doors when they climbed up the stairs. "I got you something in Hogsmeade. I charmed it a bit," she added, handing him a small box.

He took it curiously and opened it. "A broom compass?"

"A special one. I charmed it so that it not only shows the directions but it has an extra needle to point you in the direction of the person you want to see most, not matter how far away they are."

Intrigued, James thought of Sirius. The needle spun in the direction of the Gryffindor common room. "It's amazing! Thank you!" he said, delighted. He smirked suddenly, "Isn't the guy supposed to give the girl a present after a date?"

"No, the guy's supposed to kiss the girl goodnight."

James took a step closer. "In that case…" He leaned down, eyes closed, his lips hovering just above her face. He kissed Lily on the cheek, so tantalizingly close to the corner of her lips. "Good night Lily." He disappeared into his room but smiled as he heard her mutter crossly, "_Now_ he decides to be a gentleman."

Lily was still muttering angrily as she changed and flopped onto her bed. She thought of James and their wonderful day together.

She loved the way he'd been so nervous. She loved the way he could make her laugh. She loved the way he'd taken care of her. She loved how he'd known just what to say after the Derek incident. She loved how he protected her and made her want to spend more time with him. She loved how he'd grown up into a mature person after the arrogant toerag he'd been. She loved the way he made her feel excited and free and have butterflies in her stomach. She loved the way his eyes could tell her a thousand things without him saying a word. She loved that he could make her feel important and wanted and _loved_. She even loved his annoying ways, his humour, the way his hair stuck up and his Marauderness. She loved…she loved…

"Oh my gosh, I'm in love with James Potter!" she said, sitting up as though she'd been given an electric shock. She half expected lightning and thunder and the earth to break up right then. All that happened was that an owl flew past her window.

She understood what her Boggart had meant. She didn't want to lose James. That was her greatest fear, to have him walk away from her. Life without him seemed dull and sad and _impossible_. She wanted him around, she had been so worried that he wouldn't come back to her that full moon night. She wanted to protect him and care for him and be there for him the way he was there for her. And she wanted to do it for the same reason he did.

She said it again, but this time with absolute conviction, "I love James Potter."

* * *

_Ah finally! She said it! I hope you liked the date...It wasn't as humourous as I'd planned, but I liked it this way...I kind of wanted it to be more romantic..._

_Just one more chapter of Lily/James to go and then one last chapter of James/Rosalie and this story is over..._

_Review please! At least five reviews again! :)  
_


	32. Chapter 31

_Thanks for all your reviews! I loved every one of them and I really couldn't have made it this far in the story without all those reviews! Thanks to everyone who alerted/read/favourited this story too. You people are really awesome!_

_I hope you like this chapter!_

_**Previously : James and Lily goes on a date and Lily (FINALLY) realises she loves him.**_

_Disclaimer : I don't own HP_

* * *

"You have to ask him out."

"What? No, I can't do that Mary!" protested Lily.

"Why not?" piped in Alice.

"Uh…"

"At least take him to the Halloween dance," said Alison.

"Well, I was thinking of asking him. But what if he says no?" said Lily.

Her friends looked at her like she was crazy. "You know Lily, I sometimes wonder how you top the class with your brains," sighed Mary.

"Hey!" objected Lily.

"Of course he'll say yes! Just ask him to the dance!" said Alison sternly.

So, when Lily and James went up to their tower to plan for the dance, Lily decided she _would_ ask him. They'd spent the last two evenings planning (or rather enjoying each other's company). Now, with three evenings to go for the dance, they were slightly nervous.

"I really think we should have got those singing pumpkins too," said James.

"No way, they looked so childish," replied Lily, ticking items off a checklist. "Right, we still need to arrange the menu and the band. Oh and some entertainment for the younger kids, I don't think they'll enjoy dancing the whole night."

"We'll get the ghosts to reenact their deaths."

"Okay, but tell them to keep it a little less graphic than usual. These _are_ first and second years."

"Sirius and I'll take care of the menu. And wasn't that Hufflepuff boy in a band last year? Bill Blake?"

"Oh yeah, he graduated a couple of years ago, right? I'll send him an owl. He leads 'Bill and the Banshees' now. They're quite good!" Lily said. She put down her quill and sat back. "What would I do without you?" she muttered wearily, smiling at James.

"You'd do quite well I think," answered James but he too smiled at the compliment.

"I wanted to ask you something," Lily started as he smiled indulgently at her. She tried to form the question but no words came out. She knew she was looking like an idiot with her mouth open so she said the first thing that came to her mind. "How does Sirius have such great hair?"

James stared at her.

Lily mentally kicked herself. She'd chickened out at the last minute but she could have said something more intelligent.

"Er…it's his shampoo, I guess," replied James, fighting the urge to laugh.

"Oh really? I need to borrow it sometime then. I could really use it. Would you look at the time? It's late. I think I'll go to bed now," Lily babbled. She was gone in a whirl of red hair.

James burst into laughter the minute he heard her door close. "Lily, Lily, Lily," he sighed, "You have _no_ idea how to ask a bloke to the dance."

X-X-X

Lily walked into the Great Hall for breakfast the next morning, determined to ask James to the dance properly this time.

"Hi James," she said rather forcefully, sitting down beside him, "I just wanted to know if," she stopped suddenly, too nervous to say the words.

James raised an eyebrow. "If?" he asked, holding back a smile.

"Er…I just wanted to know if – if, uh – if you flossed this morning," Lily finished, wishing she could sink through the floor as the other Marauders and her friends stared at her.

"Yes I did. Thanks for being –er – concerned about my teeth," responded James. Only years of practice as a Marauder were helping him keep a straight face.

"Oh, er, you're welcome. Well, I'll see you in class then." Lily hurriedly left with a stack of toast, her face the same colour as her hair.

"Did you have to ask him if he _flossed_? You couldn't come up with anything better?" Alice said twenty minutes later when the rest of the class arrived. Lily closed her eyes to avoid James' amused eyes when he came in.

She opened her eyes very quickly when she heard a breathy voice say, "Hi James." She recognized the tall girl pinning James with the gaze of a Basilisk to be Avril Rhodes, a Hufflepuff in their class.

"Would you like to go the dance with me?" she breathed, batting her eyelashes and moving close enough to sandwich James between herself and the wall.

James gently pushed her away. "I'm sorry, no," he replied.

"Why not?" the girl snapped, no longer breathy.

James looked straight at Lily, their eyes meeting across the room. "Because," he said, loud enough for Lily to hear, "I'm waiting for the right girl.

Lily didn't hear a word of Professor Flitwick's lecture that day as she replayed James' words over and over in her head, a goofy grin on her face.

X-X-X

Lily hurried to the Library the next evening with a quick excuse about homework. She only had two evenings left to ask James to the dance and she needed help from a source that would not embarrass her. Soon, she was immersed in a book in a small section at the back of the room. She didn't notice James coming in.

"What are you reading?" he asked, putting his hands on her shoulders and standing behind her.

Lily snapped the book shut with a surprised squeal and put it on the table with the title facing down. She turned around so quickly she nearly fell off her chair. "Nothing!" she squeaked.

"Come on, what could you be reading that you don't want to show me?" he smirked, reaching around her and grabbing the book.

"Obscuro," Lily screamed before he could look at the title.

"Hey!" yelled James, as a blindfold covered his eyes.

"Don't you dare do the counter curse, Potter," Lily growled.

He smirked, his hands still on her shoulders except that he was now facing her. "What were you reading that you're so eager to hide?" he murmured. He leaned in close enough to hear her breathing pick up speed. "Something…naughty?"

"Of course not," snapped Lily, trying to push him away when she realized they were alone in that section.

She got up, but James kept his hands on her shoulders. "You wanted to ask me something in the morning, Lily. I highly doubt it was about my teeth. What was it really?" He let one hand fall to her waist and pulled her closer. Unable to see, he let his other senses take over. He could smell her heavenly scent of roses; hear her erratic breathing and feel her pulse quicken as his hand enclosed her wrist. He wanted to stand there forever.

"I – um- I wanted to know if you'd like to-" began Lily but stopped abruptly. "Sirius, Alison, what are you two doing in here?" she asked instead.

"What do you think _I_ do in the Library?" James heard Sirius ask cockily and turned in the direction of his voice.

"Why Evans, you've got James blindfolded. _What_ were you two up to?" Sirius said, waggling his eyebrows.

Lily just glared at him, took James' hand and led him away down the shelves. She was at the end of the aisle when Sirius' voice rang out in the silence of the Library.

"It was a self-help book on dating, Prongs!"

X-X-X

Lily avoided James all morning the next day but she knew that she would have to face him when they decorated the Great Hall that evening for the next day's Halloween events. She knew it was also her last chance of asking him to the ball. She stood in the middle of the empty Hall that evening after dinner, levitating streamers and spider webs and other decorations around the walls. The other Prefects were setting up the pumpkins and candles around her.

"How can I help?" James asked walking in. He sounded as normal as ever.

Lily smiled gratefully at him, thankful that he was acting as though the incident at the Library had never happened. "You can conjure up some bats and put up those spiders we got in Zonko's," she instructed.

He set about his task and when he was done, he walked over to where Lily was testing out a charm on the wall to make it flash 'Happy Halloween' and give a ghostly sort of chuckle at the same time.

"Can I try that?" James asked, intrigued, as Lily successfully performed the charm.

"Sure," she replied, stepping back.

James tried the spell but the wall gave a loud, booming laugh that shook some of the decorations off. "Sorry!" he called sheepishly to the indignant Prefects.

Lily laughed. "You're doing the wand movement all wrong. It's more of a complicated sort of wiggle." She let her hand run along his arm as she grasped his wrist and moved it. "There," she said softly, "like that." She kept her hand on his wrist, smirking at the effect she was having on him, considering it payback for the previous evening.

He was blushing furiously as he charmed the wall properly. She made to remove her hand when he grabbed it and turned to face her. "Lily, will you go to the dance with me tomorrow?" he asked his hazel eyes intense as he looked at her. He knew that the rest of his plans for the next evening depended on her answer.

"How did you do that?" she demanded.

He looked at her confused. "Er…what?"

"How did you just do that? I wanted to ask you to the dance and ended up asking about Sirius' hair and your dental hygiene because I got too nervous! How did you just ask like that, so easily?"

"Loads of practice," James grinned, "And I knew what you wanted to ask all along."

"You couldn't just put me out of my misery and ask me earlier, could you?"

"You're cute when you're embarrassed.

Lily sighed, "You're a typical Marauder. Yes, I will go to the dance with you."

James looked delighted. "First you agreed to a date and now to a dance! Are you sure you're Lily Evans?" he said, his eyes twinkling.

"Watch it Potter, or I might just change my mind," Lily muttered.

He laughed and suddenly winked at her. "It's good to know I make you nervous."

"Shut up."

X-X-X

James woke up early on Halloween morning and slipped out to his old dorm. The other Marauders were awake too.

"Okay, mates," declared James, "Today is the day. _My_ day." They ran out to finish their last-minute preparations.

X-X-X

Instead of just having a dance in the evening, Lily and James had made up a whole list of activities for the day. Breakfast went off well with the ceiling being charmed so that the clouds kept forming Halloween themed shapes. They had a quick costume contest that the whole school took part in, even the Slytherins, although they came with their sneers firmly in place. But, even they couldn't help having fun.

The students came out in various costumes. Vampires, werewolves, fairies, hags, banshees – every magical creature seemed to have appeared in the Hall. There were even a couple of Voldemorts. The whole school voted to select a winner for the best costume award. A fourth year girl dressed as a dragon and a sixth year boy dressed as a giant spider took the 'Best costume' prizes. A cheeky little first year Gryffindor was given a prize for 'Most Original Costume' when he turned up dressed as a Slytherin to great applause.

The next event was a trick or treat competition where everyone had to run around the school to find the treats. The Marauders warned everyone that their tricks were all over the place too.

"Right, I'm going to make sure no one gets hurt," said James as the students ran off to find the treats.

Lily looked wistfully at the crowd. "Wish I could have played too instead of organizing. I wanted tricks and treats too."

"Who knows, maybe you'll find some around," James said mysteriously. "I'm off to the war!" he proclaimed heading for the door.

"Good luck."

"Doesn't a brave Marauder get a farewell kiss from his fair maiden before the war?"

"That's a Musketeer," Lily answered but she kissed him on the cheek anyway. "You'd better come back alive. I need a dance partner tonight," she added.

He smiled and left, waving gallantly.

Lily went back into the Great Hall for karaoke which was the next event and gasped.

Slender white lilies were floating gently down from the ceiling, shining in the sunlight. When they hit the ground, some of them burst into glitter with a musical "Treat!" The others blew raspberries and yelled "Trick!" Lily was shaking with laughter at the sight, entranced and amused. A slightly bigger lily floated down to her. She caught it and untied the note attached to its stem.

"_To the most beautiful Lily of them all,"_ said the note. It wasn't signed but the small, hand-drawn Snitch in the corner told her exactly who it was from. Suddenly, the lily in her hand gave a loud hoot, sprayed water in her face and dissolved into sparkles.

She laughed as she looked at the note again. _"P.S. That was a trick AND a treat."_

"James Potter," she murmured, fingering a lily before it hit the ground, "you are the craziest, most amazing person I have ever met."

Sirius gave a satisfied smile as he watched Lily look around her happily. He looked away from the window he was peeking in at and spoke into a mirror. "She loved it, Prongs. Stage one is a complete success."

Lily didn't get a chance to thank James when he returned with the rest of the school. Everyone was ravenous after running around the castle and headed straight to the buffet tables that had been set up so the lunch and karaoke could happen together. To set the mood, the windows had been covered with black drapes and the Hall was lit with candles instead.

"Right, we're going to start with a nice, slow duet," Sirius announced. He'd offered to be the MC mainly because he couldn't carry a tune himself. Lily looked up wondering which two people the spotlight would fall on. She saw Remus with an evil glint in his eye as he swung the spotlight around and groaned as it fell on her and James.

"Don't give us a love song, Sirius, please," she moaned as her friends pushed her up on to the stage.

"What's the matter Lily? I thought everyone already knew about our secret affair," teased James. He was taking this in his usual carefree manner.

"Shut it Potter," she retorted.

Sirius grinned, "And now, our Head Boy and Girl will sing along to 'Magical Melody's' new hit single, 'Someone Special'," he announced.

A lot of cheering and wolf-whistling filled the air as the music wafted out.

"'_When I look at you,  
I can see myself,  
Reflected in your eyes.  
I want to be with you,  
No matter how many times,  
you've said goodbye_," sang James.

He really did have a beautiful voice. Lily couldn't help smiling as she remembered the times she'd woken up early just to hear him singing in the bathroom.

"_I'm tired of running away,  
I want to tell you,  
Exactly how I feel.  
But I'm so afraid,  
That I've hurt you too much,  
That you won't ever heal_," Lily sang. She glared at Sirius for picking that particular song, uncomfortably aware of how the words applied to her own relationship with James.

James grabbed her hand and looked straight at her with a smile. "_But there's one thing I can't deny_," he sang.

"_If there's one thing I can't deny_," she sang.

"_You're always meant to be_,"

"_It's that you're always meant to be_,"

"_Someone special to me_," they sang together.

He spun her around, leading her all around the stage.

"_I promise I won't let you fall,  
I promise I won't make you cry_."

"_I promise I won't hurt you anymore,  
Together, we will fly_," Lily sang as he dipped her back.

They were really enjoying themselves now as the crowd cheered and clapped. They sang and danced around on the stage, completely lost in the moment. They felt like they were the only two people in the room, each telling the other exactly how they felt through the song. Too soon, the music slowed as the song came to an end. They stood close, hands clasped and facing each other as they sang the last few lines.

"_There's something I can't deny,"_

"_There's one thing I can't deny,"_

"_You're always meant to be,  
Someone special to me._"

They finished together. They leaned in, still lost in each other's eyes, their voices still ringing in their heads. The crowd applauded and the spell was broken, jolting them back to reality.

Lily gave James a shy smile and jumped off the stage, blushing but with a big goofy smile.

"I'd say stage two is a success too," Remus muttered in James' ear.

James grinned broadly, "Let's just hope stage three turns out just as well, if not better."

Lily and James didn't participate much in karaoke that afternoon. They just sat in different corners, reliving the day. The lilies, the feel of spinning around and feeling as though they had the whole world in their hands…they both couldn't wait for that evening's dance.

Karaoke lasted a couple of hours more, the songs getting louder and faster. Finally, everyone went up to their common rooms to get ready for the dance. They had decided against Halloween themed dresses after the costume contest, instead choosing to turn this into a more formal occasion.

"This is it, Prongs. You ready?" said Sirius as he pulled on his jacket.

"Don't make him nervous, Sirius, he's not getting married or anything," scolded Remus.

James took a deep breath, "It sure feels like my wedding though."

The boys went down to wait in the common room for the girls to come down. The whole common room was full of nervous boys. Girls came down the staircase in groups, blushing or giggling or just talking as they found their dates. Mary and Alice came down, looking stunning in red and blue respectively.

"Where's Lily?" James asked, anxiously.

"she's coming," replied Alice.

"You'd better polish those glasses, Potter. You don't want to have misty glasses impairing your vision when you see our redheaded beauty," added Mary with a slight smirk.

Alison came down dressed in a stunning purple gown that Sirius stared open-mouthed at. She moved aside to reveal a very red Lily.

James gaped at her.

She had her hair flowing around her shoulders. She was wearing a pale green dress with an emerald bow around the middle and matching shoes. What surprised him the most was that she was wearing a tiny emerald pendant that he recognized. He had sent it to her for Christmas during their fourth year. She'd never worn it before and he assumed she'd just thrown it away like all his other gifts, but now, she was wearing it to a dance to which _he_ was taking her.

"Hi," she said nervously.

James remained speechless though he opened his mouth to answer.

"Er, James?"

"Hi! Hi. You…you look…wow. You look amazing," he stammered.

She smiled, linking her fingers through his, "You look like Prince Charming yourself."

"Honestly, you look just like a princess who's dropped out of a fairytale," James said as they walked down to the Great Hall, attracting many jealous and admiring (and a few incredulous) stares.

"How's this idea?" Lily murmured, "I'm a regular girl who's just dropped _into_ a fairytale."

James smiled as they entered the Hall. Dumbledore stood up and thanked all the Prefects and the Head students and formally declared the dance open. The band started with a fast song that had everyone on the dance floor within seconds. Lily laughed as James spun her round and round. She loved how safe she felt with him, completely sure that he wouldn't let her fall.

James reveled in the trust that she was placing in him and in the joy he was able to give her. An hour later, Lily sat in a chair, tired out with the fast-paced dancing. James was fiddling with his hair and then he said abruptly, "Come with me."

Curious, Lily took his hand as he led her out of the Hall and into a chamber beside it. There was a large set of glass doors at one end. He opened them and led her out onto a balcony which was just a few feet off the ground. They had a spectacular view of the lake and the crescent moon shone on them. The tunes of a slow song floated through the silent night to them.

"Dance with me," whispered James, placing one hand on her waist and taking her hand in his. They moved slowly back and forth on the spot for a few minutes.

"Why me?" said Lily suddenly.

James looked at her, confused, so Lily elaborated. "Why did you fancy me? I'm not extremely pretty, I'm reasonably brainy, but there's nothing about me a Marauder would like. You're handsome, charming, gentlemanly, chivalrous and gentle and kind at the same time. Any girl would want you and you could have any one. So why did you choose me?"

He pulled her close to him so that her head was sideways against his chest as he put his cheek on top of her head. She could hear his heartbeat, the sound low and comforting.

"You're intelligent, you're beautiful and you're charming too, Lily. You're extremely popular with the boys. But I saw more to you than just that. You're kind and generous. You help anyone who needs it. You give hope to anyone even if you don't have much hope left yourself. You're tough and you stick up for the people you love. You're strict but you're fun too. More than anything else, you make me _happy_ and as cheesy as this may sound, you make me feel complete."

He tilted her chin up. Lily could finally identify the emotion in his hazel eyes. He loved her. "Exactly four years ago, I realized that I fancied you," he whispered. "I tried to forget about you because you didn't like me, but I couldn't do it. I didn't want to forget you, I want you to be in my world always. I tried to ask you out in my usual flashy ways. I wanted attention, more importantly, _your_ attention. But I've finally realized that attention is what _I_ like, not what you like. You like your moments nice and quiet and romantic."

"I like my moments just like this," Lily whispered back. "You've changed from an arrogant toerag to the most important person in my life. You've been there for me through everything and even when we were fighting, you made me feel alive. Without you, everyday was just routine and dull. You're everything that any girl could ever want. You're everything that _I _could ever want."

He looked right into her green eyes, the exact shade of the pendant he'd given her, the pendant she'd finally accepted. Would she finally accept him too? "I love you, Lily. I want to ask you one last time – will you go out with me?"

Lily no longer felt hesitant or nervous. She felt absolutely certain as she spoke the word she should have used four years ago.

"Yes."

The smile that stretched across James' face made her happier than she'd ever been. A smile lifted her own lips as he leaned closer and closer; as she let her eyes close; as she breathed in deeply, taking in that familiar scent of oranges. Finally, after months of near kisses, after months of longing, his lips met hers gently, almost disbelievingly.

"I love you James Potter," she whispered and he drew back for only a moment to see the truth in her eyes before kissing her deeply this time.

For once, they both felt only one emotion – bliss. They both drew back, their arms till around each other. Lily's mind was reeling. She felt calm and safe and happy and just…perfect. She felt that the moment was absolutely perfect.

James was absolutely ecstatic. He felt as though he'd just placed the last piece of a large, complicated jigsaw. At that moment, he felt – no, he _knew_ – that he could look into the Mirror of Erised and see himself just as he was.

"Come on," said Lily suddenly.

"What are you doing?" he asked as she led him back in to the Great Hall and to the front of the room.

"I had my moment. Now, you get your attention." She called for attention and with the eyes of all the students, teachers and ghosts on them, she kissed him again.

Whoops, cheers, wolf-whistles, applause, a few 'Aww's and a lot of 'Finally!'s split the air as Hogwarts celebrated the start of the happily ever after of James and Lily's fairytale ending. Lily was indignant to see money changing hands as even ghosts cashed in on their bets.

She and James were too immersed in their own happiness to notice a defeated looking Severus Snape and resentful looking Peter Pettigrew sneak out of the Hall.

Sirius clapped James on the back and muttered, "Stage three is finally a success then?"

"Yes," James replied, the grin never leaving his face, "I'd say it's definitely a success and it's going to stay that way forever."

And it did stay that way forever. Exactly four years later, even Voldemort could not stand in the way of that promise as even death could not bear to part Lily and James Potter.

"**Yes! Finally!" Albus yelled as he danced around the room. **

**McGonagall smiled at his antics, the smile touched with just a hint of sadness as she remembered her two old, favourite students. **_**"If only James Potter himself was around to tell his story,"**_** she thought.**

"**I understand! I finally know how to ask Rosalie out properly now!" cried James Sirius Potter.**

**His delighted expression changed to horror when the office door banged open.**

"**So this is what you learn up here everyday? All you think about is what **_**you**_** want. I thought you were changing for the better because you knew it was right but now I know your real motives. You make me sick!" Rosalie slammed the door shut and stormed away.**

* * *

_So did you like it? Was the kiss alright? It's the first time I've ever written a proper one, so did I get the feelings right and everything? I'm sorry if the chapter was a little too cheesy and somewhat repetitive...it's the first time I'm writing something like this, so I'm not sure I got it as well as I should have...So any feedback on how to improve is welcome...I might rewrite the chapter in the future or I can at least improve my writing for my next stories with your help!  
_

_Please, please review! At least five reviews? :)_

_Just one chapter to go..._

_Is everyone else as excited as I am about DH part 2?_**  
**


	33. Chapter 32

_**A/N Please read: **This chapter is not in_ **bold** _but it is entirely **James Sirius Potter and Rosalie**! I didn't want to put the whole chapter in bold_ _so I wrote it in normal font but this is entirely in the present._

_Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for your lovely reviews! 317 reviews is a huge number for my first big story and I'm really, really happy! Thanks to everyone who alerted/read/favourited this story. It's all thanks to you that I made it to the end of this story..._

_I do hope you like this last chapter..._

_Disclaimer : I don't own HP._

* * *

"Rosalie!" James raced around the corner. "Rosalie, wait up!"

The girl stopped. She turned around and her grey eyes flashed angrily. "What?"

"I can explain," James panted, gasping for breath.

"Explain what? That you're a jerk? I came up to McGonagall's office to see if she'd let you off early so we could hang out for a while. Instead, I discover you're having lessons on how to get the girl!"

"Hey, you agreed to a date with me" James shot back, getting angry himself. "Why is it so wrong for me to find out how to impress you?"

"You just want to go out with me a couple of times and then you'll dump me. It's not real! Sure you'll be nice and kind for a while, and then one day you'll get bored. Am I really supposed to believe that you could change so dramatically from the time you heard whatever McGonagall was telling you? The last few days were all an act, weren't they? Inside you're just the same arrogant, horrible jerk you've always been!" She ran off but this time, James didn't follow her.

He looked stunned. "Is that really what you think of me?" he whispered.

X-X-X

"James you have to eat."

"No."

Albus sat at the foot of his brother's bed, looking helpless. "Come on, James. You can't starve yourself over a girl who thinks so lowly of you."

"I've given her every reason to think of me that way. I _was_ an arrogant jerk."

"Well then, go and show her you really aren't like that now! Show her you've always been the nice guy deep down. Show her the change is permanent."

"It's too late, Al."

"Won't you even try?"

James looked up. Albus looked close to tears. He sighed. He had never been able to see his younger siblings cry, it always made him want to put things right. "Alright. I'll talk to her one last time tomorrow, okay?"

Al nodded, his face brightening instantly. "It's Christmas Eve tomorrow. Maybe a miracle will happen and she'll see that you really are a nice guy!"

"I sure hope so. Will you get me something to eat? I really don't feel like going down now," said James.

Al nodded and left.

X-X-X

"Hello Miss Williams."

Rosalie near fell off her perch on the ramparts of the Astronomy Tower as she turned around, startled. Professor McGonagall was standing beside the door.

"May I join you?" the old teacher asked.

Rosalie nodded rather coldly. After all, this was the lady teaching James how to be a jerk. "Good evening Headmistress."

McGonagall stood beside her in the middle of the tower. "You remind me of my godson sometimes though you're a lot more like his wife used to be. He was every bit as stubborn as you. He too liked coming up to high places. He said troubles were earthly and the higher he went, the further away they seemed. He was a good man, James Potter."

Rosalie looked at McGonagall, surprised. "James Potter?"

"The present James' grandfather."

"That's who you were talking about yesterday, right? And a girl named Lily Evans?"

"Yes. I told James the story of his grandparents in the hope that he may learn some valuable lessons. I'd say he's been quite successful."

" 'Valuable lessons'? Learning how to be fake and two-faced is valuable?" Rosalie demanded.

"It isn't wise to make judgments when you don't know the whole story."

"Well enlighten me then."

"It's true I told James this story so that he could win you over. But he hasn't changed just for you. Quite early into the story itself, he realized that he had many faults and over the past few days, he recognized and corrected some of them. He isn't putting up an act, it's not in his nature. He's changing for the better. He's doing it for you, yes, but he also wants to be a good person. He wants to be kind and caring and a person whom people will look up to," said McGonagall.

"But what if he's fooling you too? What if he's just being nice now and then he'll –"

"Do you really think he could fool Professors Dumbledore and Snape without being an Occlumens? If he had such intentions, they would have sensed it immediately. You know James, Rosalie. He's a little selfish and proud but has he ever been cruel, even to the Slytherins? He loves the attention and hence he plays pranks but has he ever hurt anything more than a few egos? Aside from the little lies he tells to try to get out of trouble, have you found him to be dishonest? He's gone out with a few girls. Have you ever seen him treat any of them badly or without respect? He can laugh at himself and own up to his misdeeds. Do you think he's not brave enough to see his own faults and try to correct them?"

Rosalie tried to argue but couldn't. What McGonagall was saying was true, she couldn't deny it.

"Just think about it alright?" McGonagall said softly. She was nearly out the door when Rosalie stopped her.

"Wait. Why are you helping him so much? Why are you helping _us_ so much?"

McGonagall turned around and Rosalie was surprised to see so much sorrow in her eyes. "Lily Evans was a lot like you. James Potter was only able to enjoy four short years with her before they were killed. We live in safer times now, but anything can happen. Life's too short to keep saying 'what it.' The younger James brings back so many memories. I'm just trying to make my memories of him happier than those I have of my godson. One day, I hope our James' grandchildren can listen to a story with a happily ever after – his own story."

X-X-X

"Good morning."

"Hello Albus," Rosalie yawned.

"Didn't sleep well?" he asked.

Rosalie shook her head tiredly. Albus turned to her, his face serious. "Listen, I may not understand how important you are to James but I want to tell you something. James may be the most annoying brother I could possibly have, but I wouldn't replace him with anyone else. He always protects the people he loves in every way possible and I know he likes you far too much to hurt you. Trust me, he hasn't even talked about Quidditch as much as he did about you last summer!"

Rosalie smiled slightly at that. Albus pushed a small box towards her. "He got you a Christmas present but I doubt he'd have given it to you himself now. I hope you like it."

Rosalie chuckled at the red and gold paper clumsily taped around the box. "Did he wrap it himself?" she asked.

"He used up a whole roll of Spellotape and two sheets of paper before he got it this neat." Albus patted her on the shoulder and left.

Rosalie looked around. She was alone in the Great Hall. She picked up the present and unwrapped it carefully. She opened the box to find a note and a scrambled Rubik's cube.

_Dear Rosalie_,

_I saw you fiddling around with this all last year until you finally broke it. I don't know if you ever replaced your old cube, but I hope you'll like this one. Solve it and see what happens. Maybe you can teach me how to do it sometime too._

_Hoping you'll like it,_

_James_

She picked up the ordinary-looking cube curiously. She deftly turned it, sliding the layers into place happily. She loved solving Rubik's cubes, she put the colours together as she used to do so many times before her old cube broke. In minutes, she slid the last layer into place. For a second, it looked like any old Rubik's cube with each side a different colour.

Suddenly, it glowed and flashed a picture on each side. The Sorting ceremony…James' first prank…the House Cup where they were congratulating each other…more recently, the midnight Quidditch match where they were holding hands…he was kissing her on the cheek after skating…

She turned one of the layers and it immediately turned back into a regular cube with different colours.

Rosalie sighed. James _was _a nice guy. He couldn't have been just acting nice for the last few days. A gift like this, the Quidditch match – they needed thoughtfulness and real feelings behind them. If he only wanted her for a few days, he wouldn't have gone to so much trouble. If she knew anything about James Sirius Potter, it was that he never worked hard unless he really, sincerely wanted something. McGonagall was right. He was in Gryffindor, he didn't lack the courage to say what was on his mind directly. He would never trick her or any other girl into believing he liked her just for a snog. She admitted it, she fancied him too. But did _she_ have the courage to admit it to him?

She slid the layer of the cube back into place and watched the pictures. Suddenly, she got up, picked up the cube and marched up to Gryffindor Tower, her face set.

She pushed open the portrait and bumped straight into James.

"Sorry!" he apologized, backing away.

"It's all right. I…I was just looking for you."

"So was I."

He led her to a couple of armchairs and sank into one. "Look, Rosalie, I'm sorry I offended you. I just really wanted to go out with you and I didn't know what I was doing wrong but I know now. I'm sorry I was a bigheaded prat, but I'm not like that anymore. I know you probably don't believe me, but I want to be a better person even though you don't like me anymore," he said.

"Why do you think I don't like you anymore?"

James looked confused. "Er, I think your whole speech yesterday kind of implied it."

"I didn't know the whole story then, and I was angry. But now, I understand. I know that you would never do something as underhanded as I assumed you were doing." Rosalie put the cube on the table. "I know that you wouldn't have put in so much effort if you just wanted a quick snog and a couple of dates. You changed James. You've realized that it's good for you to change for the better, but you did it originally for me. You spent hours listening to your grandparents' story to understand me better. Some people may think you're crazy, but..I think it's really sweet."

James looked at her, his eyes hopeful. "You mean it?" he croaked.

"I'm sorry about what I said earlier and for overreacting. If you still like me after all that, if you still want to go to Hogsmeade with me, I guess I'll see you day after tomorrow." She got up and turned to leave but James pulled her into a bone-crushing hug.

"Of _course_ I still want to go to Hogsmeade with you! I'll never stop liking you!" He waltzed her around the common room, both of them grinning broadly. "You've made me the happiest man on earth!"

"Man? You don't even shave!" Rosalie laughed as he spun her around.

X-X-X

Rosalie walked into the Great Hall for breakfast the next morning to find Santa Clauses flying all over the place singing carols and dropping food on people. Everyone was laughing at themselves and each other's food – covered faces. Rosalie looked up grinning, knowing exactly who was behind all this. A Santa Claus threw a pie at her with a 'SPLAT.' She wiped the pie out of her eyes.

"James Potter, you idiot!" she screamed. James came swooping down on the back of a Santa Claus. He slipped off and offered her a towel as the whole Hall went quiet.

"Rosalie Williams," he said, "Will you forgive me for my little prank and go out with me?"

Rosalie shook her head in exasperation. "I suppose it would be rather boring without a few pranks. And yes, I will go out with you."

The Santa Clauses started singing "Hallelujah! Hallelujah!"

Rosalie whacked James on the arm, as he grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, couldn't resist," he said.

McGonagall smiled at them from the staff table. Albus cheered. Even Dumbledore and Snape had turned up in a painting to watch.

"Hey you never got me a Christmas present," James said suddenly.

Rosalie smirked. She leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "Merry Christmas," she smiled sweetly. Before he could recover from the shock, she pushed a creamy muffin into his face. "And a Happy New Year too!"

Next minute, she was running out of the Hall, laughing as James chased after her, a whole plate of food in his hands.

McGonagall smiled as she looked up at the enchanted ceiling. "You're really happy now aren't' you James and Lily Potter?" She could almost feel them smiling back at her.

_**Twenty years later…**_

"Hey granddad, can I ask you something?"

Harry smiled at his twelve-year old grandson, Andrew Potter. "If you want another prank idea, your dad's a better person to ask."

"No, I don't need a prank! Did you and grandmum _always_ like each other?" asked the boy.

"Girl trouble, huh?"

Andrew blushed, "Well there's this really pretty girl in my class. She's smart and she's got these big, beautiful brown eyes."

"Let me guess, she doesn't think you're very funny or nice," said Harry smiling.

"Yes! Exactly!" exclaimed Andrew, looking anguished.

"And," added James, sitting down beside his father and grinning at his son, "I bet she's a redhead."

"How did you know that Dad?" asked Andrew, surprised.

Harry and James smiled at each other, "How about we tell you a little story, Andrew?"

"Here we go again," muttered Ginny, looking at the three male Potters, all with messy black hair and glasses on the other side of the room.

"Seriously though," said Rosalie, watching with Ginny as her husband and father-in-law started telling Andrew the story, "What is it with Potter men and redheads?"

"Don't look at me," said Albus, joining the Potter women as he too remembered the story he had heard so many years ago, "I married a blonde."

* * *

_THE END._

* * *

_Once again, thanks so much for ALL your reviews! They really mean a lot to me! _

_I am writing a Dramione adventure/romance story soon. If you think it'll be worth a try, just put me on your alerts and you'll know when I post it :)  
_

_How was this last chapter? Please let me know with a review! I want at least five reviews again :)  
_


	34. Thank You!

_No, this isn't another chapter though even I wish it could have been. This is a big thank you to all my reviewers! I hope I got all your names right! Thank you so much, especially the ones who've been so regular and kind with their reviews! I will put the names of everyone who reviews the last chapter also, so don't let that be an excuse to not review! And a big thank you to everyone who read and/or put this story on alerts and favourite lists :)  
_

_So a HUGE thank you to:_

pigckle8 (my first reviewer!), Lizzle09, Professor of Pig-latin, froggyparty96, BuzzCat, spydrgurl9, Ranma's girl1, SucksRoyalHippogriff, Arteest456, ghostofyourlastlaugh, mischief managed-not, minerva07, SucksRoyalHippogirff, thePhonyOversized, ClamKidToTheRescue, the frozen cherry, emandem, cottoncandylover11, Hanhan123, TorpedoKitteh, Gunther123, DanniGirrl001, crazychika13, , GabyXeni22, nikegirl0329, charleyhpottergryffindor, PkmnLuver292, HarryPotterpwns, Luna Lundgren, Damon'sBitch, CLA I love , Godrico Gryffindor, Imaginone, wisegirlweasley, phee 15, IvyBean, Queen Alexandera's Birdwing, OfPhoenixandHolly, theloveinhereyes, chocolate fish, isigirl, FlutePower, JustinneXD, bamanda808, xStoryOfUsx, Arielle 12, A La DarkAngel, Little Emily, Almost Genius, Becky-Grimshaw, lucypotter13, Artemis115, CookieLivcat, he-be-forgot, J., DracoHermioneForever, Marauderette96, Just-As-Loony-As-Luna, Lunar-Eclipse22, Married-To-Punk, Vanillaberries, .wolves, ., Somesets, MasterSerina83, belleblu13, lunathevamp, Expecto Patronum14, PrincessDripDrop, PureAwesomeness13, BellaCullen1789, wisegirlweasley, SiriusBlackisSeriuslyfunny333, Seriously addicted to DM, Afrenchgirl, Samesinlove, karoolis, amy-x-ian-forever, kaykay844, Fiori Omega, SpiritedWind, lady-chan, Bellaroe, TruthHurtsLikeHell, ShortieGirl1, TheOneBehindItAll, PrinceDice1, MJ Potter Black Weasley, littleLaralevin, harryginny9, sugarrush12, Vanillaberries, LittleRueFlower, Cookies and Cream 1234567, JulPer12, Emzy Potter, Fantasylover2342, .Singer.14, katiebeth004, ckincaidx3, soccersymmes, Daisara Belle, , AMessofPickles, Staralej, etyoubrute, .Cute, lightningscarpotter, SavingViolets, darkangel20098, H.L., AshJaz, Twikadevra, Chessa-Sirius-Black, m0rganosity, Crazy-Sly Angel Cullen, scentedcandleflames, Perfluent, JustAnotherWeasleyGirl, trickster princess, iwishiwasdhampir, TheOneBehindItAll, Violet Bleu, harryginny9, xLycheerain, mugglelover88, kk14517, RealGirlsHaveCurves

_As I said, I will update this with the names of the reviewers for the previous chapter, so review it! :) _

_Thank you once again! I was so happy to see such a long list!_


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